Continuation Of Midnight Sun
by Kiva Johns Adkins
Summary: This is a continuation of the unfinished novel, Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer. The book was intended as a companion novel to the Twilight book. My story takes off where Midnight Sun ends.
1. Forward

**FOREWORD**

This is a continuation of the unfinished novel, Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer. The book was intended as a companion novel to the Twilight book. My story takes off where Midnight Sun ends. Therefore reading Midnight Sun is a prerequisite. This story is told from Edward Cullen's perspective. You can read it at her website.

All the characters and quite a bit of the dialog are Stephenie Meyer's from Twilight. I kept that for continuity because it is a story people know. My goal was to further tell our favorite vampire's story.

I wrote this for fun and for practice, to hone my own writing skills. I absolutely want and encourage feedback. It only helps me. This will never be published. Ultimately, this is Stephenie Meyer's book. I just wanted to have some finality for my friends and me, when it came to Edward.

Please enjoy and realize it was all in fun. No copyright infringement was intended.

Kiva Johns Adkins


	2. Chapter 11 COMPLICATIONS continued

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan-fiction based on Stephenie Meyers' Twilight Series. (No copyright infringement intended).

A/N: Here is where SM left off...I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

As I made the quick drive home I realized I had a looming problem to deal with – Rose's seething anger over the fact that Bella now knew all of our secrets. I didn't have to make it too far up the driveway before I could hear Rose's thoughts, aimed towards me like daggers, and Emmett's futile attempt to calm her.

_How selfish!_ Her thoughts were screaming at me.

Rosalie was waiting for me at the foot of the stairs as soon as I entered the house. This was my family's home where, ironically, we felt safe. Right now Rosalie was pre-occupied with visions of torture dancing through her head. But which would she choose to inflict upon me?

The rest of the family were mulling about the house, but not in close proximity to each other.

Emmett stood at the top of the stairs, overlooking the situation that was about to unfold and keeping a watchful eye in the event he needed to intercede.

Carlisle and Esme were sitting on the couch, pouring over some house plans. Architecture and design were my mother's passions and there was always a new project at hand.

Jasper and Alice were playing chess, which I felt was more for show than for strategy. Alice would destroy Jazz with her advantage of foresight into any moves he planned to make, altering hers accordingly.

"Hello Edward," Rose growled, with her arms tightly across her chest. She was standing about three steps from the bottom. That posture and position, along with her stiletto heels were all about intimidation and dominance. Don't get me wrong. Rose could and has held her own - just never with me. She had the most domineering personality I had ever encountered but that was no match for my mind-reading abilities.

I stepped further into the entrance hall and laid my coat on the bench by the front door. My mother also had exquisite taste in furnishings, having chosen this particular sofa-sized black, distressed bamboo bench while visiting the Philippines. She filled our house with treasures from around the world we each had accumulated throughout our existence.

I smirked at Rosalie. I knew what was coming and I did not care. No matter what she had to say, it would not change my commitment to Bella and her survival.

I reached for the banister of the stairwell and acknowledged my sister, "Hello Rose." As I took one step further, she reached out and grabbed my arm, forcing me to turn to face her.

"Yes Rosalie," I growled. She hated when I used her given name. It was a move that asserted my position in the Alpha role with her. Rose believed herself to be the Alpha, Beta _and_ Theta.

_You've done it now little brother. _Her eyes were filled with fury. Perhaps she needed to hunt. but right now all her anger and frustration was directed solely at me.

"What exactly have I done Rosalie?" When I asked that question, everyone stopped what they were doing and stepped towards us. I wasn't sure if it was to take sides or prevent a brawl.

_Let it go, Edward. She'll calm down in time_. Emmett was doing his best to avert a possible clash between us. Ultimately Rosalie was his mate and no matter how strong our bond as brothers was, nothing would surpass his love and devotion to her.

"As if you didn't put us in danger before, you have now sealed our fate. The girl knows _everything_. Not only do we have to worry about the locals finding out about us, we now have to worry about the Volturi."

The last part of her speech got everyone's attention. The Volturi were our species' version of a royal family. They lived and ruled from their secret fortress in the Italian, Tuscan countryside.

There was only one rule our kind had to follow to avoid being dealt with by the Volturi – keep our secret.

Carlisle stepped in to try to quiet the situation. "Rose, if Edward says the girl can be trusted, we must have faith in his judgment. She has said nothing yet."

Rose jumped right in with her retort. "Yet?! Well, before she had only _guessed_ certain things and maybe noticed abnormalities. Now she _knows_ we are vampires and _knows_ how we hunt and live. She _knows_ entirely too much and it is time the situation is dealt with. Edward, obviously, is too emotionally invested in the situation to do that himself."

I let out a deeper growl and tightened my fists. If Rosalie wanted to deal with Bella, she would have to deal with me first and that would not work out well for her.

Emmett rushed down the stairs and laid a hand on Rosalie's shoulder to calm her. "Don't make rash decisions Rose," He pleaded.

"Rash decisions? I don't think _I_ am the one making rash decisions." She quickly snapped her head towards me and let out her own growl. "I think that would be Edward and that's the problem. His rash decisions could destroy our family."

Carlisle, always the peacemaker, stepped in. "Rosalie, Edward loves this family as much as any of us and he would never knowingly put us in harm's way. We protect our family. I do not believe this Bella girl requires us to guard ourselves against her. I have met her and I trust Edward's judgment. She is a good person."

Esme stepped up to me and laid her hand gently on my back. "Bella is good for Edward. How could any of you, who have love, want to deny Edward his love?"

Esme's soft eyes searched for that part of Rosalie that would understand something as deep and complex, yet as simple as Love and everything it involved.

"She's human!" Rosalie raised her voice, stating the obvious.

"Yes Rosalie, she is. But we have time to see how this will play out. For now we must trust Edward's judgment of Bella and trust Edward's devotion to our family. I do not question either," Esme said calmly.

The words from Esme, our mother, seemed to calm the whole situation down, or perhaps it was Jasper, working his magic.

None of us wanted to upset Esme. We all wanted, more than anything, to make her happy since we were the only children she would ever have.

_I'll let you know if she becomes a danger._ Alice and Jasper had made their way behind me by this time and she was always looking out for me. Alice was not only my sister, but my best friend and confidant. She had developed an unusual obsession with Bella as well and hoped that she would be in my future – in our future, in some meaningful way.

_I am not worried about her becoming a danger, Alice. I am worried about becoming a danger to her._ I replied, silently, to my sister with the gift to see the future. As much as I was taken with Bella Swan, I knew I was not good for her. I was a weapon of mass destruction and she was the most beautiful, delicate piece of a glass menagerie.

_I will let you know if I see that as well, Edward. I don't think you will hurt her. You love her. I love her._ Alice smiled as she thought about that.

I loved Bella. Alice loved Bella. How quickly this had gotten out of hand.

"You have created this situation Edward. You had better handle it – one way or the other," Rose snarled.

Alice jumped in before the situation escalated again.

"Rosalie, I don't _see_ Bella causing us any problems." Of course Alice had reservations about my ability to control myself on my trip to the meadow with Bella but she knew I didn't _want_ to hurt Bella and would do everything in my power to keep her safe.

"I just want you to know I will not suffer for your mistakes Edward." Rosalie always had to get the last word. It was ALL about her.

"I don't intend for anyone to _suffer_ for my decisions. I assure you of that." I smirked at her.

"We trust your judgment Edward," Carlisle said calmly, looking towards Rosalie. Carlisle was always the voice of reason and hopefully Rosalie would realize that.

I had somewhere to be and realized it was past time to rescue myself from the situation. "I will see you all at school tomorrow." I smiled slightly, looking forward to another night of studying Bella as she slept. It was fascinating.

_Idiot. _Rosalie shot a parting glare at me.

I went to my room and listened to some of my classical music in order to calm myself before I left for Bella's house. I was not concerned that my argument with Rosalie would make me dangerous to Bella, but I wanted to enjoy the night – watching her sleep, wondering what visions danced through her mind while she slept. I wanted no distractions.

As soon as I was certain Bella's father, Charlie, had fallen asleep for the night, I headed out. I dashed through the forest with such a feeling of anticipation. What would Bella talk about tonight? Would she think of me after our wonderful day at school together?

I had greased the window the last time I came in to watch her so the window lifted quietly, with ease. I took my usual seat in the rocking chair in the corner of the room.

I thought I had settled in for an uneventful evening of covert surveillance of this human that captivated me so completely.

Bella was restless throughout the night and woke several times. I found myself darting in and out of her closet a number of times until she drifted back into her fitful slumber.

She reached out several times, like she was searching for something. What was she looking for? Could she be reaching for me or possibly pushing me away? Her facial expressions gave no clues.

I desperately wished I could reach out to her, hold her and offer her comfort and security. But I was still a monster that was intoxicated by the scent of her blood, which made it much too dangerous for me to be that close to her.

Surely the cold touch of my skin would only jolt her from what little sleep she was getting. One day I would be strong enough to hold her in my arms and breathe in the floral scent of her body. For now, I could only cherish these secret visits to her room that I looked forward to each night.

I also knew, at least for now, I had the hope of tomorrow. Tomorrow she would answer my questions and perhaps Bella Swan would let me get to know her as I wanted her to know me.

I left her room as the sun rose above the Olympic Mountain Range, running back to my house to shower and change before I drove back to her house to pick her up for school.

Although the time away from her was short it pained me greatly to leave her. The only insight into the lovely human girl that had become my obsession was to watch and listen to her as she slept. There was always the eaves-dropping thing with those close to her, but I despised myself when I stooped to that level. I worried that any moment I was away from her I would miss something crucial and wonderful.

I sped down the drive, onto the highway and was at her house quickly. I only had to wait around the corner for a few moments before Chief Swan left for work. Just as I had yesterday morning, I pulled into his parking spot in front of the quaint house that sat at the foot of the towering Madrone trees.

I waited impatiently, hoping Bella would look for me. I hoped she would. I wanted her to look forward to seeing me as much as I looked forward to seeing her.

Then she appeared, like Juliet, in the window and smiled down at me. She quickly turned from the window and before I knew it, she was bounding out the front door towards my Volvo.

I assumed she was happy to see me and smiled widely at her. "Good morning."

I opened her door for her, breathing in her scent, testing the whole pleasure/pain principal as it burned its way down my throat. "How are you today?" I looked down at her as she laid her backpack in the front floorboard.

"Good, thank you," she smiled at me. She was pretending to be lively. I could tell. I had no doubt her words were sincere but I also knew she did not rest well. "I couldn't sleep."

No one was around so I walked at my faster-than-human speed to the driver's side of the car. I got in and smiled a knowing smile at her. "Neither could I," I teased.

Bella seemed to be amused by my response and joked back that she supposed she had gotten slightly more sleep than I had. "So what did you do last night?" she asked.

I started the engine and headed off towards Forks High School. "Not a chance. It's my day to ask you questions." I had been looking forward to this all night. I would drag this out all day if possible.

I started off with an easy question. "What's your favorite color?"

I tried to look serious as I asked the question. I didn't want her to doubt the sincerity of my questions, no matter how trivial they seemed. There wasn't a thing I didn't want to know about the beautiful girl with the warm chocolate eyes that sat next to me.

"It changes from day to day," she said, rolling her eyes. Yes. She thought the question was trivial. Surely she was expecting something more involved.

"What's your favorite color today?" I asked, still with all seriousness.

She looked down at the shirt she was wearing and touched it as she answered. "Probably brown."

The brown shirt she wore today was far more fetching than the hideous sweater she wore yesterday, but not nearly as lovely as the blue shirt she wore the night we had dinner in Port Angeles. Blue was my favorite color on her.

"Brown?" I asked, raising my eyebrow in wonderment. She never ceased to amaze me or surprise me. I expected an answer like pink or red or purple – typical girl answers. Not brown. The answer seemed right though. Bella wasn't flashy like pink, red or purple. She was subdued and warm, like brown.

"Sure," she answered. "Brown is warm. I miss brown. Everything that's supposed to be brown – tree trunks, rocks, dirt – is all covered up with squishy green stuff here." She wrinkled her nose in disgust as she mentioned the green stuff.

I listened to her and realized she used the same word to describe brown as I had, warm. I reached over quickly, but smoothly to push her long dark hair over her shoulders. This would allow me to take in one last deep breath, filling my lungs with her scent before we entered the high school. I had to get used to this, to make myself immune to her lovely toxicity. "You're right. Brown is warm."

We pulled into the parking lot of the high school that, until the day Bella Swan had entered it, had been the bane of my existence. Going to school each day had been an exercise in futility, repeating my teenage years again and again. I had received degrees from Ivy-league colleges and was far more educated than the teachers that stood before me each day. It was different now. Now I had Bella to look forward to each and every day and it was never the same as the day before.

I wasn't ready to let Bella leave me just yet. "What music is in your CD player right now?" Again I asked my question with all seriousness. This was no joke to me.

"_Meteora_ by Linkin Park," she answered with a slight grin. I quickly searched through my assortment of CD's in the car and found the exact CD she had mentioned. She certainly liked a varied assortment of music. "Debussy to this?"

This was going to be a wonderful day. It was my day to ask and hers to answer and I would not miss one chance the entire day.

At lunch I asked her about her favorite books. I already had a pretty good idea after my surveillance of her the day she fell asleep on the quilt in her backyard, skimming through the pages of Jane Austen novels, frustrated for some reason.

"I like the classics," she said before sipping on her lemonade. "Jane Austen and Shakespeare are favorites." I smirked with a knowing grin.

"Do you enjoy Tolstoy?" I asked, probing her to see if she had read some of my favorites. War and Peace was one of my most prized possessions. The pages were worn from decades of reading and re-reading with notes I had scrawled in the margins. The book mirrored my own century long quest for the meaning of life.

Since Bella had such a fondness for Austen I doubted Tolstoy would be anywhere near the top of her list. Tolstoy was a realist. Austen was a romantic.

"Not really," she answered. "I found it tortuous to read."

I persisted with the interrogation throughout the day; in between classes, the rest of lunch – anytime I was near her. She answered every question with such fervor and intensity but seemed embarrassed on occasion, blushing. I noted that and occasionally threw in another question that would bring the pink color to her cheeks. She was even more radiant when the blood rushed suddenly to her face. I wasn't able to read her mind but I could read her expressions. She was like an open book – a very engrossing book.

"What is your favorite gemstone?" I asked.

She quickly answered, "Topaz." She tried to hide her face behind her hair as she blushed again. I knew the question probably seemed ridiculous to her, but I could not imagine why a question like that would illicit such a response.

My eyes and my words pleaded with her. "Tell me why it is your favorite."

She reached up to twist a piece of her hair between her fingers, looked down and answered, "because it is the color of your eyes today." She looked up at me through her long eyelashes, never raising her head.

She added, "I suppose if you asked me in two weeks I'd say onyx." That surprised me. _My_ eyes? She saw beauty in _my_ eyes – the mirror to my monstrous soul?

I could tell it was difficult for her to open up to me and answer that question in particular, so I moved onto another, letting her off the hook. I asked her about her favorite flower, what made it her favorite flower? Was it the scent or the color?

She thought for a moment and touched her finger to her bottom lip. "The desert blue bell," she said.

"Why?" I asked, scrunching my eyebrows together. I had expected a rose or tulips or daisies – typical answers. I should have known at that point that there was nothing typical about her.

"As much as I love the brown earth tones of Arizona, the desert blue bell is like a little gift, rising from the dirt floor. It is such a bright and vibrant color against the sand and dust. It reminds me that there is always a hidden beauty, waiting to be discovered." She smiled when she remembered her home.

If she had asked me what my favorite flower was I would have said she was. Bella's unique scent was the combination of various flowers and was a treasure in itself, unique to her alone, much as the desert blue bell was unique to Arizona.

What I wouldn't give to be able to read her thoughts behind her guarded answers. In time, I hoped Bella, would open up to me and trust me as much as I now trusted her. I wanted her to trust me with her life, and with her heart.

We headed off to Biology and the questioning continued. I was sure she was getting tired of my inquiry but I just could not get enough information about her. Learning about Bella was like drinking exquisite wine from a bottomless glass.

I convinced myself that the more endearing qualities she revealed to me would prevent me from killing her. I truly wanted to find a way to live with her human self in my vampire world.

As soon as Mr. Banner dimmed the lights for the day's audio-visual performance, I pulled my chair a little further away from her, in hopes that the electrical charge that emanated from within us yesterday would be abated today. Along with getting to know Bella better, I also had to learn more self-control to be near her.

As quickly as the lights shut off, the electrical surge returned, racing through my body.

I could tell she was distracted by me and wasn't getting much out of the movie. She continued to move her hands closer to mine, then move them away, folding her arms, leaning forward on the table and resting her chin on her arms. She was fighting back an urge. I knew better than anyone what a difficult undertaking that was.

When the lights came back on, I hoped Bella had noticed I was looking at her. I spent the entire film analyzing her body language and what it was saying to me. I don't think either of us got much out of the film, although I had seen it plenty of times before.

I silently rose from my seat and pulled her chair out for her. I would walk her to her gym class, leaving her to the distorted thoughts of Mike Newton. I shuddered at the thought.

Just like yesterday we walked in silence, pushing me to analyze her body language further. As she stopped to enter the gym, I looked tenderly down at her and stroked her cheek with the back of my cold hand. She didn't seem to be bothered by it yesterday and feeling her warmth and softness did so much for me.

Gym lasted its normal torturous hour, forcing me to watch Bella through the minds of Mike Newton and Jessica Stanley, two teenagers I absolutely despised; Newton for his relentless pursuit of Bella and Jessica for her rude thoughts and back-stabbing ways.

It was actually a pretty quiet day for one of Bella's gym classes. I got from Jessica that Bella was sitting out and Mike had taken it upon himself to become a one-man badminton show.

Mike and Jessica did not talk to Bella the entire period. I felt complete exultation. Perhaps he was still angry with her from the squabble they had the day before. Either way, I didn't care. Bella wasn't the focus of Mike's thoughts.

Bella was out of the gym and headed towards me almost as soon as the bell had sounded. How did she get changed so quickly? She stumbled through the doors and greeted me with a wide smile that lit up her chocolate eyes.

When Bella smiled, I smiled. I couldn't help it. She made me feel joy and happiness. I was grateful for each and every little moment I had with her, because I knew the clock was ticking. I was immortal but she was not and if I had my way, she never would be.

I already started the new round of questioning with Bella as soon as we got into my car and continued the barrage until we pulled in front of her house.

My questions were getting more in-depth. That was my plan. Start her off on the easy questions, gain her confidence, then sneak the more probing ones in and catch her off guard.

"What is it you miss about Phoenix?" My question was pleading and I hoped she knew I wanted details, not trite answers.

She bit her bottom lip as she frequently did when she was deep in thought. "Well, I miss the brown, like I said earlier. I miss the heat and the sun and the smaller vegetation. It is so different here. Here everything is green, even tree trunks – things that should be brown. The rain makes it hard to go out and do much. They are just two different places." She paused for a moment, shaking her head. Then she turned to look at me, "but there was no Edward in Phoenix and you are worth all of the things I miss."

I pulled the car up in front of the Swan's home and turned off the ignition. The day wasn't over and there was plenty more I wanted to know about Bella. "Tell me more about Arizona. I want to know what is so wonderful and beautiful about your home. I want to know the different smells, the way the weather is different – how the sun feels as it warms your skin. Tell me everything," I pleaded again.

She seemed genuinely interested in the fact that I wanted to know every little detail of things she considered trivial.

"I love hearing the Cicadas in July but my favorite thing ever is how big and open the sky is. You can see the clouds shifting and see storm fronts moving in over the mountains. There are so many colors, more than brown; there is the purple of volcanic rock and the red clay, the feathery barrenness of the trees. And mostly, the sun and the heat and how that affects your mood. It is so easy to be happy there."

Her answer puzzled me and I had to ask, "You aren't happy here?"

She smiled and reached to touch my hand, looking at it at the same time, "I am becoming happy here because of you Edward. You are my sun."

I begged her to continue – to tell me about her school there, her friends, her house and even pushed for details of her bedroom. I couldn't see it through her mind but I hoped she would paint a visual picture that would let me see into her soul a little.

Just as I completed my line of questioning there was a dim light of a storm moving in. She took this as an opportunity to escape the inquisition.

"Are you finished?" she asked, letting out a breath as if she had just run a 5K marathon.

I smiled, "Not even close – but your father will be home soon."

She panicked, "Charlie! How late is it?" She looked at the clock and seemed shocked. I was sure she was worried about getting the Chief's dinner on the table for him. I knew Charlie Swan was not a callous parent. She loved her father. That was clear.

I looked off into the western horizon, realizing I would have to let her go soon and answered, "It's Twilight."

I continued to think about that for a few moments, what Twilight meant to my kind. I could tell Bella knew my mind was elsewhere and I suddenly looked back at her with an explanation, "It's the safest time of day for us. The easiest time. But also the saddest, in a way…the end of another day, the return of the night. Darkness is so predictable, don't you think?" I asked wistfully.

Her answer was so Bella. She saw the good in the bad, the right in wrong, and the sweet in the sour. With her, there was always a silver lining. "I like the night. Without the dark, we'd never see the stars," she frowned. "Not that you see them here very much."

This was one of the reasons I loved Bella. She could brighten my day, any and every day. I smiled at her and touched her arm through her coat. I knew it was time for me to go.

"Charlie will be here in a few minutes. So, unless you want to tell him that you'll be with me Saturday…" I ended, raising one eyebrow. Maybe she _did_ want to tell Charlie about us. This was her opportunity.

Bella gathered her books together, "Thanks. But no thanks." Then her voice turned excited. "So is it my turn tomorrow?"

I was teasing with her, but wanted her to know that that was an outrageous request. "Certainly not! I told you I wasn't done, didn't I?"

Bella wrinkled her lips in the way she always did when things weren't going her way. She was frustrated that she wasn't winning this battle with me. "What more is there?"

I moved around the car to open the door for her. "You'll find out tomorrow." As I said those words, touching her door handle, I could hear her heart begin to palpitate wildly. But my hand was frozen there. "Not good."

My jaws were clenched and eyes crazed. I was sure it scared Bella. "What is it?" she asked.

I glanced quickly at her. I did not want her to think this was about her. "Another complication."

I moved, without hesitation away from her, swiftly climbing into the driver's side. I would have preferred to lead her to her front door, but the situation would not allow that. "Charlie's around the corner," I warned, looking out into the downpour at the vehicle that had just pulled up to the curb near us. The car's occupants were my concern, not Bella's father.

As soon as I told Bella that her father was near, she hopped out of the car. She looked in the direction of the other vehicle, but I could tell she had no idea who was there.

I knew who it was. It was the Blacks – Jacob and his father Billy. I felt they didn't care for my presence in Bella's life and were here to serve a warning. I stared defiantly at them through the glare of their head-lights, letting them know this was not something I would back down from.

I revved the Volvo's engine and sped away just as Charlie's police cruiser pulled over the hill. As long as Chief Swan was with Bella I was certain I did not need to worry about her safety, although I was thoroughly disapproving of the Black's proximity to _my_ Bella. 


	3. Chapter 12 BALANCING

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan-fiction based on Stephenie Meyers' Twilight Series. (No copyright infringement intended)

* * *

I was certain the Blacks would not be visiting the Swan home for long. I had a suspicion of their motives. Whether they mentioned their concerns to Chief Swan or not the visit would surely go by expeditiously. After all, the boy surely had school the next day and it must be past his bedtime.

The moment darkness fell across the sky I headed on foot for Bella's house. Perhaps I could overhear some of her father's thoughts before he ventured off to bed for the night, giving me some idea of what had transpired at the Swan home. Then, of course, I could commence my new nightly ritual of watching Bella sleep, hoping against hope she would speak of me in her slumber.

The lights were still on when I reached the woods surrounding her home. The Blacks were, surprisingly, still there. I could not imagine why this was the case. If they had told Chief Swan to keep his darling Bella away from me because I was a dangerous vampire, I was certain, he would have thrown them out of his home, convinced of their insanity. If they had held back the information, why on Earth would they still be here at this late hour? Again, surely it was past the boy's bedtime and Chief Swan had to work the next day.

Then I tuned into the thoughts coming from the Swan home.

_I'm glad we came to watch the game. _It seemed as if this was the Elder Black's thoughts. Why would Jacob come to Bella's house just to watch a game?

_I hope Bella will come back to the beach soon. I want to spend more time alone with her. I am so glad she moved back to Forks._

Ahh. Certainly those were the thoughts of Jacob. It seemed that Bella had, in fact, dazzled the youngster in her effort to pump him for information on my family. He was enamored of her. Poor Jacob. He had no idea how hopeless his cause was. Bella was not interested in any human boy.

They stayed past the time Chief Swan regularly headed off to bed for the night. As soon as the Blacks left I could focus on her father's thoughts alone. What kind of insight into Bella could I get from her authority figure? It didn't take long for him to start questioning Bella on her plans for the weekend. I wondered what she would tell him.

_Badminton? Really? I wonder how many of her classmates were injured. _

I chuckled at her father's take on her clumsiness. Was I so captivated by her that I did not pick up on this little quirk of hers as much as everyone around her seemed to? Perhaps it was because they had to be keenly aware of her knack for disaster since she was a danger to them as well as herself. I, however, was impervious to any danger – even the quantifiable danger that followed this seventeen year-old girl that I now found myself obsessed with.

_Bella spends too much time alone. I really wish she would socialize more – perhaps go to the dance this weekend with Mike Newton. He comes from a good family._

Surely Chief Swan knew his daughter well enough to know the last thing she wanted to do was get dressed up and put on a dog and pony show at the local high school with the likes of Mike Newton. Maybe he didn't. Maybe he just wanted her to acclimate more to Forks. Little did he know she was acclimating just fine, only with the Vampire crowd.

He was concerned that she was making the trip to Seattle alone and really hoped she would decide to go to the dance instead. He had plans involving fishing and didn't want to cancel them since the weather would be warm. However, he would stay home with Bella instead of leaving her alone if she decided to put off the trip.

Chief Swan didn't need to worry about canceling his fishing excursion. Bella was steadfast in maintaining her Saturday plans with me, much to my pleasure _and_ dismay.

I wanted nothing more than to spend a day with her, in _my_ world. I wanted her to see me for who and what I truly was, a monster. Maybe then she would stay away from me. I was beyond being able to make the decision to stay away from her, even though I knew that was the safest option for her. Maybe then she would truly understand how dangerous I was to every human, especially her.

Finally he decided he had no hope of convincing Bella to attend the dance and realized he would not have to alter his plans after all. Soon he and Bella both headed for bed for the night.

They both seemed quite tired from their company and fell fast asleep in no time. When I knew it was safe I climbed through her window, as had become my habit, and found my place in her rocking chair. She seemed peaceful tonight. I hoped that meant the Blacks had not caused any issues with her father.

She was quiet all night. That had to mean no dreams. Even though I didn't get to hear her whisper my name in her sleep I was content to see her doze soundly. Her warm chocolate hair, pulled back in a pony-tail lay on her pillow. The quilt that had been worn through years of loving use remained draped against her body throughout the night. She didn't toss and turn and didn't pull at her hair.

Watching her sleep each night was a new and magnificent experience for me. Tonight I felt she was sleeping soundly enough that I could move closer to her, taking in her scent. I needed to fill my lungs with it as much as possible, strengthening my reserve to keep her safe when we were alone on Saturday.

I stepped around her books and CD's and knelt on the floor next to her bed. I put my hand on the headboard and leaned quietly over her, coming within inches of her hair.

_I love you_.

I adored the way Bella smelled to me even though the scent burned my lungs as much as it had the first day I laid eyes on her. My willpower had grown stronger since then. I still didn't feel confident enough to move closer to her throat where her scent was strongest.

She was so defenseless in her sleep. To taste her blood without her knowing what was coming hardly seemed fair.

Bella was sleeping so soundly. She didn't move once as I remained over her for several hours, careful not to let my cool breath sweep across her skin. I was getting stronger each day when it came to being around Bella. I still couldn't forget I was still the most dangerous thing in her danger-filled life, no matter how much I loved her.

I made my usual exit in the morning, just before she woke. I returned home, quickly changed and let Esme know I was okay. She always worried.

I wasted no time at my house before returning in the Volvo to pick Bella up. I pulled into Chief Swan's parking spot almost as soon as he pulled out. Although I hadn't been away from her for more than an hour I was full of anticipation for the moment she came through the front door. Would she be smiling? Would she change her mind about spending the day with me? Would she be subdued or would she be cheerful?

While I had learned enough about the human condition over my one hundred odd years, Bella Swan was more often than not the exception to the rule. The one thing that was certain with Bella was uncertainty. I _never_ knew what she would do or say next. I had become jaded from so many years of knowing everything everyone was thinking. I had gotten so used to trying to tune people out that I had forgotten what it was like to be surprised, to feel anticipation of the unknown. Bella made me feel "alive".

She came out the front door smiling and looking rested. She made her way quickly to my car, climbing into the passenger seat. I smiled at her as she looked into my eyes. There was no shyness or hesitancy to Bella today.

"How did you sleep?" I asked as if I didn't already know by her demeanor and the fact that I watched her night of peaceful slumber.

"Fine. How was your night?" she asked. If she only knew how perfect every night was since I started coming to her room. Even though I could not sleep, watching her gave me great pleasure and enjoyment. _Every_ moment I spent near Bella gave me those feelings.

I tried to disguise my amusement with her question, since knowing it would only serve to confuse her. I still couldn't help but to smile when I answered, "Pleasant."

The answer and smile must have intrigued her. I doubted she had any idea how I spent my nights but she was interested. "Can I ask what you did?"

I chuckled at her. She would do just about anything to avoid having to answer my questions. "No. Today is still _mine_."

I spent every moment of the morning I had with Bella quizzing her. How could I possibly ever get enough of her? I asked her about her mother and what she enjoyed doing and how they spent their time together. The memories of my mother were so distant. I longed to learn more of the parent/child relationship. Learning about Renee was sure to give me more insight into Bella. Not only did I want to know Bella, I wanted to know everyone else's Bella.

She seemed comfortable with my line of questioning until I asked her about boys she had dated. While I felt bad for embarrassing her, I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the blood pool under her transparent skin, returning the lovely shade of pink to her cheeks again. She insisted she had really never had any boyfriends. I found that so unlikely, as beautiful as I and every boy in Forks found her. I didn't believe Bella would lie to me. That was one thing I had decided I knew about her – she was honest.

"So you never met anyone you wanted?" I asked her, stunned that it could be true – that it _had_ to be true since she was so insistent.

When she finally answered me I knew it was begrudgingly. I took satisfaction in that as well. As much as she didn't _want_ to give in to me and show me how strong she was, she was not able to deny me anything. "Not in Phoenix."

Not in Phoenix? In Forks then? I knew, through everyone else's thoughts that Bella was not interested in any of the boys at Forks High School. Could it be _me_ she wanted? If so, it would be that much harder to convince her I was not good for her.

Throughout the day Bella continued to grow excited about my plans for us on Saturday, even though she did not know exactly what they were. I knew then that I had to go hunting beforehand so I would have the best chance at resisting my urges around her.

After a fruitful morning of questions and answers with Bella we made our way to the cafeteria. I continued my interrogation, knowing that I would be leaving after lunch to go hunting with Alice. Of course I had not broken the news to Bella yet.

Alice agreed to leave school early on Friday with me to go hunting. She was the most supportive of all of my siblings when it came to my obsession with Bella. Emmett was as supportive as he could be. He still remembered his moment of weakness and the deadly consequences for the woman who had been hanging her sheets off the cart path all those years ago. He wanted me to be happy but he didn't believe happiness with a human was possible.

When I told Bella I would be leaving she seemed disappointed, as though leaving her physically equaled leaving her emotionally. Nothing could be further from the truth. I was leaving _for_ her well-being.

"We'll go get your truck and leave it here for you," I told her. She smiled a crooked smile. I could tell she doubted my ability to follow through on that promise.

"I don't have my key with me," she sighed. "I really don't mind walking." How absurd. Did she really think I would let her walk home? She would probably trip and fall into a ditch on the way there and I would never have my day with her.

I smiled back at her with a knowing, crooked smile, shaking my head. I was amused at her lack of faith in my word. "Your truck will be here, and the key will be in the ignition."

"So where are you going?" she asked.

Although she knew I hunted, I still felt it was an uncomfortable subject to discuss with her. "Hunting. If I am going to be alone with you tomorrow, I'm going to have to take whatever precautions I can." I was giving her yet another out. "You can always cancel, you know."

She looked away from me. I had picked up on that habit of hers. She did it when she told me things she didn't think I wanted to hear. I couldn't imagine the reason why, but it gave me an indication of the answer that was to follow.

"No," she whispered, looking back at me. "I can't."

I couldn't stay away from her and she couldn't stay away from me. I knew I had to find a way for this to work – for her to live her human life and for me to be beside her at every moment.

Before I read too much into her response she changed the subject. "What time will I see you tomorrow?"

Her mood was not cheerful but she didn't appear to want to cancel the day. Her mood altered when I told her I was leaving with Alice. Maybe she would miss me. I know that every second I was away from her, until I saw her in the morning, would be painful.

"That depends…it's a Saturday, don't you want to sleep in?" The time didn't matter to me – the earlier the better. I was not tied down to human needs like sleep but I wanted Bella to be well-rested and I knew human teenagers liked to sleep in on the weekends.

"No," she answered quickly.

I guessed she wanted to be with me for as much of the day as I did with her. How I wished I could read her mind. I would give almost anything to know what she was thinking about tomorrow. Was she scared? Was she excited? Was she hesitant? I would have to take Bella's word.

I told her I would pick her up at the same time as I had been arriving before school each day. I asked her if Charlie would be there when I arrived. I knew he would be fishing but I hoped he would be there when I came to get her. I wanted…no, needed, the incentive to bring Bella home. Someone had to see her leave with me.

"No, he's fishing tomorrow," she smiled as she answered. She was as happy about the fact as I was disappointed, and angry. Why was she so set on putting herself in danger when I was doing everything in my power to keep her alive? As much as I wanted her to stay human I could not be certain of my ability to control my urges. I needed every tool I could get my hands on to help me succeed in my goal.

"And if you don't come home, what will he think?" I asked her in a sharp tone. Perhaps it would make her understand she was playing Russian roulette with her soul.

She seemed surprised with my question and answered me coolly. "I have no idea. He knows I've been meaning to do the laundry. Maybe he'll think I fell into the washer."

How could she be so flippant? She absolutely drove me insane. I scowled at her to let her know I did not appreciate her joking attitude. She scowled back but I was certain I was much more frightening than she. I counted on that.

She then asked what I was hunting tonight. She seemed so fascinated with my feeding habits. Silly girl. She just could not avoid danger. She was a danger magnet. That was for certain.

"Whatever we find in the park. We aren't going far."

"Why are you going with Alice?" she asked. I was sure she wondered why I would not be hunting with Emmett, Jasper or Carlisle.

I frowned as I answered her. "Alice is the most…supportive." The answer made me sad. I wanted all of my family to understand and be encouraging, although I understood their reservations.

"And the others?" she asked timidly. "What are they?"

I did not want her to think badly of my family and I certainly did not want her to feel she was not worth loving. "Incredulous, for the most part."

She looked over at my family, sitting at the table I had shared with them for the past two years. She looked down and fidgeted with her hands. "They don't like me. Do they?"

I had to try to clarify their feelings to her. But how? "That's not it," I said quietly, looking for the right explanation. "They don't understand why I can't leave you alone."

She frowned. "Neither do I, for that matter."

Bella was impossible. I could not make her understand how intoxicating she was – not only to me, but every boy in a 50-mile radius. I was used to seeing human girls that were overly-confident in themselves, like Jessica Stanley. How could Bella not see how amazing she was? I leaned my head back and rolled my eyes before looking back at her.

"I told you – you don't see yourself clearly at all. You're not like anyone I've ever known. You fascinate me."

She stared me down with an angry look. Could it be she thought I was kidding? I smiled at the way her mind worked. "Having the advantages I do," I said in a low voice, slightly touching my forehead, "I have a better than average grasp of human nature. People are predictable. But you…you never do what I expect. You always take me by surprise."

She looked towards my family again. She smiled a slight, embarrassed smile.

I continued to try to explain why I was drawn to her, beyond her powerful scent. "That part is easy enough to explain. But there's more…and it's not so easy to put into words—"

As I was trying to explain this to Bella, I noticed her looking over at my family again. I was certain she hoped their expressions would help her understand my words. Then I caught Rosalie glaring at her. Why did she have to be so rude? This girl had done nothing to her. I hissed at her and she finally turned away. Then Bella looked back at me. She was confused. She wasn't grasping any of this.

I had to apologize for Rosalie's behavior. She certainly would never do it herself. She didn't feel she had anything to be sorry for. "I am sorry about that. She's just worried. You see…it's dangerous for more than just me if, after spending so much time with you so publicly…" I looked down. The more I tried to explain the situation and my feelings to her, the more damage I felt I was doing.

"If?" she asked, prodding me for the rest of my thought.

"If this ends…badly." I held my head in my hands. I only wanted to love her, not cause her pain and distress. I had no desire to put her in danger but she had been in peril since the moment I saw her and I didn't feel I could change that. I could not pull myself away from her and the only way I could continue to work out our "relationship" was to explain everything fully to her so she could make her own informed decisions.

She reached her hand out towards mine, and then quickly pulled it away. She wasn't frightened, as she should be. She was sympathetic, for _me_. She felt bad for _my_ pain. The turmoil I was going through was palpable and while I hoped she wouldn't see it I was now certain I was not very good at hiding it from her.

She then realized it was time for me to go when Alice appeared at our table. While her presence meant it was time for me to leave Bella it was also a joyful presence. Perhaps Bella wouldn't worry about our conversation the rest of the day.

"Alice," I said, without turning towards her.

"Edward," she chirped.

I figured Alice was a good person to start with, as far as bringing Bella into my world. I smiled wryly, "Alice, Bella – Bella, Alice," I gestured casually with my hand. Good. Introductions complete.

_Don't embarrass me_. I pleaded with her.

Alice was grinning from ear to ear. "Hello, Bella. It's nice to finally meet you."

I looked sharply at Alice. Why could she not keep her thoughts to herself? I know she felt she and Bella would be good friends one day and already loved her, despite having never met her outside her visions or my thoughts.

Bella responded shyly, "Hi, Alice." Certainly Bella wondered if Alice harbored any of the same resentment Rosalie did.

Alice asked me if I was ready to go. I was never ready to leave Bella although I knew it was a necessary evil. "No. I'll meet you at the car." I answered. I wanted a few more moments with Bella. Alice didn't say another word and gracefully flitted across the cafeteria towards the parking lot.

Bella watched Alice leave, in awe. Our perfect gracefulness had to be as awe-inspiring to Bella as it was to every other human, especially since she had difficulty walking down a sidewalk without tripping.

She then looked at me and grinned slightly, shrugging her shoulders. "Should I say 'have fun' or is that the wrong sentiment?"

I smiled. She tried so hard to understand and accept me. "No, 'have fun' works as well as anything."

"Have fun, then." She smiled wholly.

I was still grinning. She was trying to seem so nonchalant about my hunting expedition to drink the blood of animals, in an effort to keep from drinking hers.

"I'll try." I smiled at her. It was impossible not to. "And you try to be safe, please."

The most painful part of being away from Bella was the knowledge that I would not be there to protect her. I could not read her mind in order to keep up with her and had to trust that she would make safe decisions. Alice would surely see if there was any danger in Bella's immediate future and alert me. I wasn't going far from her to hunt, just in case she needed saving.

After bantering back and forth with her about the inherent dangers of laundry I stood up to leave. She stood with me and sighed, "I'll see you tomorrow."

I was beginning to understand her expressions. She was sad to see me go, even though I would see her in the morning. "It seems like a long time to you, doesn't it?" I asked.

She hesitated to let me know how she felt but then nodded.

I wanted to comfort her. I reached out to touch her face, grazing my fingers across her cheekbone. I smiled and reminded her, "I'll be there in the morning." I then turned and left. I had to hunt so tomorrow would be a little easier. It would be an important day. One that I hoped would go decisively one way or the other. Of course I hoped, more than anything, that she would choose to love me as I loved her and we would, together, figure out how to co-exist – her human world and my immortal world.

Alice and I went quickly to Bella's house, retrieving her keys from the pocket of her jeans, lying on the laundry room floor. We then drove it back to Forks High School and parked it in my usual parking space. I hoped she would enjoy the unspoken message of its placement, reminding her I was a man of my word. I also decided to leave her a simple note, to remind her of my biggest concern.

**Be safe.**

Alice was quiet, for Alice, during our hunting trip. With her visions of the future and my mind-reading abilities there was really no reason for us to speak out loud, except to practice our human "façade". I think she was concerned for me and trying to let me focus on getting my head in the right place before I spent tomorrow, alone, with Bella.

"It will be fine Edward," she said, laying her hand on my shoulder as we rested on a boulder in between meals. We had just finished off two young deer we had caught by surprise as they grazed near the North woods of the park.

"I can't explain it Alice. I have never felt this way about anyone, ever." I hung my head. I was a tortured soul. I thought of myself and my family as good vampires. Despite that I knew we were still inherently dangerous and, therefore, bad. I knew the right thing to do for Bella's sake would be to walk away. But I couldn't. Ever since Bella Swan moved to Forks, my entire existence had revolved around her and I didn't want it to be any other way. I was too selfish to do what was best for her.

"You won't hurt her tomorrow Edward," Alice reassured me. "I can see that." I could tell she was wary of speaking the words that weighed heavily on her mind.

_It will be difficult but you will do what is right, dear brother. You love her. Love gives you strength to do the things that seem the hardest._

I didn't feel the need to speak my deepest thoughts to Alice. I knew she could hear my heart, theoretically speaking. _She is my life now. I exist for her alone._

Alice and I sat quietly, motionless, for hours – the embodiment of Grecian statues. No words. No thoughts. Only peace.

Late in the night a small herd of deer crossed our paths and I was sure to be gluttonous with my blood lust. Alice even gave me some of her share just to be sure my thirst was fully quenched.

Alice and I headed back to our home, where I spent some time with Carlisle. His fatherly advice and calm resiliency were very reassuring to me at times when I am not so sure of myself.

I entered Carlisle's office, where he was sitting at his desk, reading one of the current medical journals. I sat down in the soft black leather chair opposite him and took a moment to gaze at the books and paintings that surrounded us. These were reminders of Carlisle's human and immortal life. They reminded me that Carlisle had learned to co-exist with humans without harming them, without even the desire to harm them. If he could do it, I could do it too. I had never felt such a strong desire to keep anyone alive. Bella Swan was my love, my existence and my responsibility.

"Carlisle, will this ever get easier?" I wrenched my hands together and ran my fingers through my hair. The only thing I was certain of was uncertainty. "I am trying to drown myself in her scent any opportunity I get, hoping I will become so accustomed to it that the burning deep within my lungs will go away. I want nothing more than to be near her without having to worry about the danger I pose."

Carlisle gently closed his book and laid it down on the large mahogany desk. He leaned towards me, looking at me with such compassion.

"Edward, my son, you have far more willpower than you give yourself credit for. You have adjusted to our lifestyle with ease and have existed around humans for a century without a mistake for decades now. I can tell you love this girl. I have always hoped that you would find the love I have with Esme, that Rosalie has with Emmett and that Alice has with Jasper. I think you have found that love." He smiled at me with encouragement and understanding.

"It is unconventional, for certain, to love a human as you do. That does not mean it cannot be done. Love is a powerful emotion Edward. While you may not have a physical heart, I am certain you have an emotional one and your heart will guide you. It will help you make the best decision for both of you. I have no doubt that it will eventually get easier for you to be near Bella. It was difficult for me at first, to treat patients who were bleeding. Now I hardly notice because I have learned to focus on the person, not the blood that pumps through their veins."

"Thank you Carlisle. That seems like sage advice. I will try to focus more on Bella and not her scent."

We both sat there until the morning sun began to fall across the wooden floor. I concentrated on what I needed to do to make it through today. I had been far too busy thinking about the future when I needed to focus on the present. Carlisle remained in the room with me – a silent show of morale support.

Slowly the orange globe outside our window began to rise above the forest floor, its fingers reaching through the trees. I knew this beautiful, sunny day would not be spent alone in hiding. I would share this glorious day with Bella Swan, able to be myself instead of pretending to be something I could barely remember. I would discover if she could live with the _real_ me and hope she loved that me as well.

I went to my room and pulled out a pair of jeans from my dresser. Since I was taking her hiking, my usual slacks were hardly appropriate. Then I chose a sleeveless white shirt with buttons down the front, pulling a tan sweater over it to protect me from exposure to the sun before I was ready. While the sweater wasn't necessary for my comfort, I hoped it would serve as a barrier against my cold skin for Bella.

Knowing Charlie should have already left on his fishing trip I ran to Bella's house. I could not believe I had agreed to let her drive us in her truck today. My Volvo would be much more comfortable and would get us there in a timely manner. Besides, I was certain of my ability to keep her alive when I was in control of the vehicle. I wasn't as certain when she was in control of her own destiny.

I stepped onto the porch and knocked softly. If I had a physical heart, I was certain it would be racing, much like Bella's did when she was near me. The anticipation was almost too much. I wanted nothing more than to have this day begin, knowing that when it ended I would be certain of how she felt about me.

I could hear her running down the stairs and fumbling with the locks on the door. She was as excited as I was. She jerked the door open, greeting me with a wide smile. Bella was always beautiful to me but today she seemed even more striking. Maybe it was the beauty of the promise of my future with her or perhaps it was her choice in clothing.

"Good morning," I laughed as I examined her.

"What's wrong?" she asked, tugging at her sweater then brushing her hand over it to see if something was wrong with it. She looked at me, puzzled.

"We match." I laughed again. She was also wearing jeans and a long tan sweater. I saw this as a possible sign that we should, in fact, be together. She and I both enjoyed the same types of music. She and I both loved to read classic literature and clearly, we both had similar taste in clothing.

She smiled and stepped out on to the porch to lock the door behind her. I made my way around to the passenger side of her truck to wait on her. I was there in the time it took her to blink. Today I would not pretend to be human. I would be the real me – the tragic, emotionally unstable vampire I had become.

"We made a deal," she reminded me smugly as she climbed into the driver's seat and reached over to unlock my door. "Where to?" she asked excitedly.

I grinned as I reminded her of my fears. "Put your seat belt on – I'm nervous already." In an effort to drive my point home, I reached to buckle mine.

Bella didn't seem to appreciate my attempt at humor and gave me a dirty look. She then asked again, "Where to?"

"Take the one-oh-one north," I answered. I could not keep my eyes off of her as she drove her old truck with such bravado – as if it were her suit of armor.

It took longer to get out of town than it would have if we took my Volvo. If I had been driving, we would be there already. It was hardly Bella's fault though. The truck was simply like an elderly man who struggled to maintain his independence when, in fact, he needed a walker.

"Turn right on the one-ten and drive until the pavement ends." I was smiling. I was enjoying the knowledge that although she was behind the wheel she had no idea where we were going and was under my control.

She could not stand not knowing every detail. "And what's there, at the pavement end?" She didn't seem afraid, just confused.

"A trail." I answered cryptically.

"We're hiking?" she asked with hesitancy, glancing down at her feet.

"Is that a problem?" I asked. Even if she was not confident in making the hike to my special place, I knew I could help her if she had any difficulty.

"No." she answered with self-assuredness. I shouldn't have expected any other answer from her. Bella always tried to express self-confidence in the face of any type of adversity. If she feared anything, she would never show it.

"Don't worry, it's only five miles or so, and we're in no hurry." I tried to re-assure her because I knew the thought of hiking seemed daunting to her. After all, she _was_ only human.

We both sat silently for a while. I watched her expressions and thought I saw hints of hesitancy and fear on her face.

I was growing impatient trying to figure her out and finally asked her what was going through her mind. "What are you thinking?"

"Just wondering where we are going," she answered. I could tell there was more she was considering than that, but she wasn't sharing it with me.

As we both looked out the window at the thinning clouds I gave her a slight hint as to what the day held. "It's a place I like to go when the weather is nice."

She knew from our previous discussions about my family that when the weather was nice we could not be out in the public, where other people could see us. Today I would show her why. From our conversations I wondered if she understood that we would be somewhere no other human might accidentally cross our path.

"Charlie said it would be warm today," she stated, lowering her head slightly to look out the windshield into the sky above.

That led me to ask how much Charlie knew about our day. "And did you tell Charlie what you were up to?"

"Nope," she answered quickly and confidently. No fear. Amazing.

I was still hopeful Jessica would be expecting Bella home that night. "But Jessica thinks we're going to Seattle together?" I asked her, hoping for confirmation.

She was still confident, but lowered her voice slightly, like she was a child getting ready to fess up to sneaking into mommy's make-up. "No, I told her you canceled on me – which _is_ true." She looked at me, hoping that her honesty would be rewarded. I appreciated it but, in this situation, it only made me angry.

"No one knows you're with me?" I snarled.

She wasn't backing down. As much as I wanted her to tell someone, she was determined to keep it a secret from everyone.

"That depends…I assume you told Alice," she replied sarcastically.

I snapped at her. "That's very helpful Bella."

She ignored me, which just made me more frustrated. "Are you so depressed by Forks that it's made you suicidal?"

Now she felt the need to rationalize her actions. "You said it might cause trouble for you…us being together publicly." Her voice was lacking the arrogance she had spoken with a few seconds earlier. It was now more apologetic.

I could not believe her thought process. I was not able to control my anger and the sarcasm in my voice was impossible to disguise. "So you're worried about the trouble it might cause _me_ – if _you_ don't come _home_?"

Why didn't she get it? I felt obligated to protect her. Why couldn't she just want to safeguard herself as well? At least then we could be on the same page.

The rest of the drive continued in silence. She obviously sensed my displeasure and was determined to stand her ground, refusing to give in to my desire for a system of checks and balances.

Finally, the road ended and Bella pulled the truck off the side of the road, parking on the narrow shoulder. We each exited the truck in silence. I certainly hoped this was not going to set the tone for the day.

The weather had turned warm, warmer than any other day since Bella arrived in town. She must have been uncomfortable because she took her sweater off and tied it around her waist. Beneath it was a light, sleeveless shirt that showed off her translucent skin and delicate arms.

When Bella removed her sweater, I took mine off as well, laying it on the front seat of the truck. I then moved towards the dark forest and looked over my shoulder at her, "This way." I said, still with a hint of sarcasm and anger. I had to let that go. I had more important things to focus on today, like not killing Bella.

She stood in her place, with a look of shear panic in her eyes. She then stared towards the trail sign and back at me. "The trail?" she asked.

That amused me and it took the edge off. "I said there was a trail at the end of the road, not that we were taking it."

She seemed even more panicked, which amused me that much more. I could find my special place with my eyes closed. I was in control now, not Bella. "No trail?"

If there was one thing Bella could be sure of, it would be that I would not allow any harm to come to her. I had a superb sense of direction.

I turned towards her.

"I won't let you get lost," I promised.

I would have sworn I saw her bottom jaw drop just a bit when I turned to face her. The sun was not shining on my skin yet, revealing my darkest secret. Still, the sight of my white, stone-like skin had to take her by surprise. To humans, we were visions of gods and goddesses. I never felt I was beautiful, but after watching human reactions towards us for one hundred years I had gained some insight into their thoughts. But why would she look so stunned? She already mentioned the perfect beauty my family members possessed. Certainly, she would expect this.

"Do you want to go home?" I asked, hoping she didn't. If she did, I would respect her wishes and feel somewhat pleased that she was finally considering her own safety.

"No," she answered, walking forward until she was right behind me.

"What's wrong?" I asked her gently. I hoped that if she were frightened to be alone with me she would say so.

It was much less serious than that, of course. "I'm not a good hiker. You'll have to be very patient."

I smiled as I looked into her eyes, hoping she would cheer up. "I can be patient – if I make a great effort."

She smiled back at me, but I still wasn't buying her cheerful facade. "I'll take you home," I promised.

She was bull-headed and determined and let me know she intended to share the day with me. "If you want me to hack five miles through the jungle before sundown, you'd better start leading the way." There was an edge to her voice. She would not show any weakness, emotionally or physically.

With that, I turned and headed into the forest. I knew there were inherent risks for Bella even when she was walking on a smooth, flat surface so I tried to help her on the hike in any way I could. I held the ferns and webs of moss away from her and lifted her over fallen trees and boulders. As soon as she cleared the obstacles, I released my gentle grip on her, not wanting the coldness of my skin to make her uncomfortable. Each time I touched her I could feel her heart race and I hoped it wasn't because she feared I would hurt her. I certainly could, easily, if I wanted to, but the last thing I desired was to bring harm to her.

It was a quiet hike. I was used to going alone to this place where I found peace and serenity. I wanted Bella to love it as much as I did. By the way she struggled on the hike I was certain she had never ventured this deep into the woods. I hoped she would take in the sights and sounds of the deep green forest that surrounded us, instead I caught her staring at me on more than one occasion.

"So tell me about the pets you had growing up," I encouraged at one point.

I figured throwing a question at her here and there would give me further insight into what made her the genuinely good person she was through and through. I also hoped it would take her mind off the hike. These treks were nothing for me and my family and I sometimes forgot how difficult the trip could be for humans.

She answered me, slightly winded from the hike. "Well, my mom decided that starting me out with a fish was a good way to teach me the responsibility of pet ownership. If it didn't work out, it wasn't a long-term commitment." She paused during her story to take a few deep breaths, continuing as I led her through the forest. "After I killed three fish in a row I think we both knew pet ownership was not in our future."

I chuckled under my breath. Was her inability to keep even a fish alive, indicative of her knack for disaster or just a coincidence? Either way, at least she could bring no harm to me and I would try my best to protect her from herself.

I moved in and out of the trees with ease. She occasionally looked at me with doubt, but she would soon realize she never needed to question me.

After several hours, the light finally began to stream through the trees, changing the color of the forest from a murky olive color to a brighter shade of jade. Just as I had promised her, the sun came out. I looked at Bella and I could tell she was relieved – either at the promise of the end of the hike or the anticipation of learning my truth.

"Are we there yet?" She had been a real trooper and hadn't asked that once during the entire hike. I was impressed with her tenacity.

"Nearly," I smiled. I was pleased with the change in mood. "Do you see the light ahead?" I asked, pointing toward a bright spot in front of us.

She looked pensively at the forest and answered my question with a question. "Um, should I?"

Again, I had forgotten the differences between human eyes and vampire eyes. What I could see probably had not yet come into view. "Maybe it's a bit too soon for _your_ eyes."

After another hundred yards Bella could surely see the lightening in the trees ahead, a yellow glow instead of the green that had enveloped us. It wouldn't be long until I could totally be my real self with Bella. I dropped back and let her lead the way into the light.

As she stepped through the last vestiges of ferns, she stood in clear admiration. She saw the same splendor I did in the meadow. I did not have to read her mind to know that. Her chocolate eyes sparkled and she smiled widely as she took in the beauty that surrounded us.

It was a small meadow, perfectly round, filled with wildflowers in violet, yellow and soft white. The fragrance was remarkable but still nothing compared to Bella's scent. There was also the peaceful sound of the stream that bubbled nearby. As perfect as this meadow had always been to me, it was now as perfect as it would ever be as I watched Bella, walking through my meadow - our meadow - in awe.

She turned, expecting me to still be behind her. I was watching her from the edge of the meadow, still protected by the dense shade of the canopy. Now _I_ was frightened. I was frightened of what Bella would think when she saw me step into the sun. Would she see the monster I saw? Or would she be more determined than ever to love me?

She took a step towards me and I saw in her eyes that she was waiting for the reveal I had promised her. Maybe she would just be content that I showed her my secret place – my meadow. Maybe she would not need to see me. I was very unsure of my decision to show her, out of fear it would drive her away – even though that is what I thought she should do.

Whatever dread I was feeling melted away as she smiled at me, beckoning me into the light and towards her, taking another step toward me. I was certain if I did not step forward on my own, she would come to me and lead me into the sunlight. I held up my hand to stop her. I wanted to do this on my own. She stopped, reluctantly but still smiled at me.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I didn't want to see her reaction when I revealed my true self. Then I stepped out into the bright glow of the midday sun. There was no going back now.

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A/N: Please leave a review & tell me what you think.


	4. Chapter 13 CONFESSIONS

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan-fiction based on Stephenie Meyers' Twilight Series. (No copyright infringement intended).

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I stood with my eyes closed, the sun beating down on me for what seemed like an eternity. My apprehension over Bella's reaction made the seconds seem to tick by even slower. Finally, her beautiful voice sang to me, like an angel.

"You're beautiful," she said as though the sight of me had literally taken her breath away. "It's like…diamonds."

Her words touched me in a way I never anticipated. She was not appalled at my appearance. She thought I was _beautiful_. I opened my eyes and we slowly made our way towards each other. It seemed like it always had with Bella, magnetic – as though we were being drawn towards each other.

I reached for her hands and pulled her close to me. We just stood, looking into each other's eyes and holding each other's hands, with our fingers intertwined. The coldness of my skin did not make her pull away. Instead, her heart began to race, pumping her blood throughout her body, bringing her scent to the surface. My throat burned but I had no desire to leave her side. I could do this. I could stay this close to her. I _wanted_ to be this close to her.

We didn't speak as we moved to the center of the meadow, where we laid down beside each other. This was about moments, not words. She wasn't running away and neither was I. I realized then what I'd known all along, we were running _towards _each other.

When I wasn't worried about what Bella was thinking I could focus on what she felt. Her face was so easy to read when she was relaxed. Today I had no secrets and she had no fears.

I enjoyed the meadow as always, relaxing in the middle of it, feeling the warmth from the sun as it beat down on me – and now the warmth of Bella's skin on mine. I lay with my eyes closed, singing to myself as I frequently did. It was so low to Bella's human ears that she asked me what I was doing when my lips moved without releasing a sound. I explained it to her. The meadow was _my_ one special place where I got to be myself, with no pretenses or worries. I hadn't even shared this place with my family. Bella was the first and now it was even more special because, just like that, it had become _our_ meadow.

Occasionally, I would open my eyes to make sure Bella was still there, although I could smell her and was certain she would not leave. She sat, with her chin on her knees, watching me – always smiling. I imagined it was, for her, like it was for me when I watched her sleep at night.

There was a slight breeze throughout the day, which twisted her hair around her face and moved the blades of grass back and forth as though each one was dancing to the music I sang.

Finally Bella reached out and touched me. With one finger she brushed the back of my hand, which I laid next to her. The feeling of her touch was electric. I wanted to grab her and pull her close and kiss her with all the passion I felt, but I knew that she was too delicate for that. I could hurt her easily and while I was exhibiting great self-control, I did not feel I was capable of getting that close to her just yet. For now I would settle for the current of energy that surged through my body every time her warm skin brushed against mine.

"I don't scare you?" I asked her. I just couldn't bring myself to believe she was not frightened by me – that she was choosing to be here with me and not staying as my captive.

"No more than usual." She answered simply.

That made me smile, wider than I typically did. Bella made me smile more in the past few months than I had since I was born into this life. I was always careful to control my smile, cautious about showing my teeth. Today I held nothing back. I smiled a wide grin and I knew my teeth, the deadliest weapon in my repertoire, were bared.

She didn't pull away. Instead, she stretched out her hand, tracing the contours of my arm with her fingertips. I was shocked that I was able to control myself around her. Feeling her touch was the single greatest experience I had ever known. I closed my eyes again. With each sense that was taken away, another was heightened. If I could not _see_ her touching me I could _feel_ it that much more. I felt her fingers tremble as they ran across my skin. I remained perfectly still because I didn't want to frighten her. I didn't want her to stop touching me – ever.

"Do you mind?" she asked.

I kept my eyes closed as I answered her in a purr. "No. You can't imagine how that feels."

She continued to trace my skin, my muscles, and my veins with her fingers. She reached to turn my hand over and I quickly flipped it over for her. I wasn't concentrating on moving at human speed and the sudden movement seemed to frighten her because her hand froze on my arm.

"Sorry. It's too easy to be myself with you." I murmured.

I relinquished control to Bella and she lifted my hand, turning it back and forth, watching the shimmer of the sun on my skin, even holding it closer to her face. I opened my eyes and noticed the prismatic colors bouncing off my skin and dancing across her face. It was beautiful.

"Tell me what you're thinking," I whispered. I had to know what all of this meant to her. "It's still so strange for me, not knowing."

After reminding me that that was the way everyone else felt _all_ the time, she answered my question. "I _was_ wishing I could know what you were thinking…"

"And?" I asked, sensing there was more to it than she had said.

"I was wishing that I could believe that you were real. And I was wishing that I wasn't afraid."

I was so certain that she did not feel fear today. How could I have gotten that wrong? I didn't want her to be afraid of me. I whispered to her, "I don't want you to be afraid." I hoped she could hear the sincerity in my voice, that not only did I not want her to be afraid, but she had no reason to be afraid. I would never hurt her and I would never let anyone else hurt her.

"Well, that's not exactly the fear I meant, though that's certainly something to think about," she replied.

I quickly propped myself up on my right elbow, leaving my left hand in hers. What fear was there if it was not a fear _of_ me? Again, Bella Swan left me perplexed.

"What are you afraid of, then?" I whispered, almost begging her to explain this human emotion to me.

Instead of answering me, she moved in closer to me, breathing in deeply. It seemed she was breathing in _my_ scent. That caught me off-guard. My self-restraint throughout the day was because I was in control and had anticipated every movement between us. This was not something I had anticipated.

I quickly jumped to my feet and went to the edge of the meadow, in the shade of a fir tree. I stared at her in total shock. How could I learn to deal with this – with her unanticipated movements? If only I could read her mind, I would know when she was going to do things like that.

She looked stunned, hurt by my sudden departure.

"I'm sorry Edward," she whispered. Even though I was twenty feet away from her, I could hear her just as though she were whispering in my ear.

"Give me a moment," I answered, hoping she could hear me. She sat perfectly still so I was certain she did. I needed a moment to collect myself.

After several seconds I walked back slowly to her, slower than even my normal human speed. I stopped a few feet from her and sat down facing her, with my legs crossed. She never quit staring into my eyes. I think she was searching for an explanation for my behavior. She seemed to blame herself when, in fact, it was my lack of self-control.

"I am so very sorry." I paused for a moment, searching for the right words to explain my dilemma to her. "Would you understand what I meant if I said I was only human?"

She smiled slightly, not sure if I was serious or joking. She nodded her head that she understood. Again, her heart raced and the adrenaline running through her veins made her smell mouth-watering.

I had to somehow make her understand how dangerous I was to her so she would not be so trusting with her actions. She had to help me protect her from myself.

"I'm the world's best predator, aren't I? Everything about me invites you in – my voice, my face, even my _smell_. As if I needed any of that!" I bounded to my feet, circling the meadow at vampire speed, standing still under the same tree I just retreated to. Why couldn't this _one_ person resist me?

I laughed bitterly and continued to warn her. "As if you could outrun me."

I then quickly reached out to the spruce next to me and, with one hand, ripped a thick branch from it, balanced it on my hand and threw it with all my force and speed. It crashed against another tree and splintered, shaking the tree that took its impact.

While she was still reeling from the site of my super-human anger I made my way back to her, standing two feet from her before she knew I had moved.

"As if you could fight me off," I sneered and whispered. I wanted her to fear me, but I did not want to scare her. As I looked at her, in all of her human frailty and innocence, I began to calm.

"Don't be afraid," I said seductively. "I promise…I _swear_ not to hurt you." At this point I wasn't sure if I was trying to convince her or myself.

I moved slowly closer to her, to convince her through my actions, that I meant her no harm. "Don't be afraid." I said softly again, as I sat closely to her, our faces just inches apart.

"Please forgive me," I asked with true sincerity. I had not behaved as the gentleman I had tried so hard to be throughout my existence. "I _can_ control myself. You caught me off guard. But I'm on my best behavior now."

I waited for her response and she still did not speak.

I had to lighten the mood. I winked at her and re-assured her. "I'm not thirsty today, honestly."

She got the joke. My attempt at humor made her laugh, though with some hesitancy.

"Are you all right?" I asked, gently and slowly moving my hand back into hers. Could she see how sorry I was?

She looked at my hand, then into my eyes. I believed she understood. I hoped she did. She looked back at my hand and resumed tracing the lines in the palm of my hand with her fingertip. She was showing me she was not afraid. She then looked back at me and smiled timidly.

Her smile reassured me and I beamed widely at her. I could tell by the look on her face I was _dazzling_ her. I wanted to be certain Bella saw the gentleman in me the rest of the afternoon – no more monster.

"So where were we, before I behaved so rudely?" I asked.

"I honestly can't remember." She answered.

I hoped my terrible display of fury had not wiped away her memories of the beautiful day we had shared up until that point. I wanted her to leave here with good memories. I smiled at her like a school boy that had played an awful prank on the teacher he had a crush on.

"I think we were talking about why you were afraid, besides the obvious reason."

"Oh, right."

"Well?"

She looked back down at the palm of my hand, doodling on it with her fingertip like she did with her notebook in Biology. Seconds ticked by and she did not respond. Was she frightened now? I didn't think so but I could not be sure without the ability to read her thoughts.

"How easily frustrated I am," I said to her. She looked at me with sudden sympathy, as though a light switch had suddenly been flipped on. She smiled a comforting smile, indicating that she understood this was new to me as well. Neither one of us had ever had to walk the tightrope of a relationship outside of our species.

Suddenly she found the courage or strength to answer me although she never raised her eyes to mine as she spoke. "I was afraid…because, for, well, obvious reasons, I can't _stay_ with you. And I'm afraid that I'd like to stay with you, much more than I should."

"Yes," I agreed. "That is something to be afraid of, indeed. Wanting to be with me. That's really not in your best interest."

She frowned when I said that. By now I was certain that she knew _that_ truth, but she was unwilling to let herself be convinced of anything other than my goodness.

"I should have left long ago," I sighed. "I should leave now. But I don't know if I can." I felt so selfish for keeping her in constant danger because I could not do the right thing.

She stared down again. "I don't want you to leave."

This was such a frustrating point of contention between us. "Which is exactly why I should. But don't worry. I'm essentially a selfish creature. I crave your company too much to do what I should."

"I'm glad." She smiled.

I gently pulled my hand away from her and responded with a harsh edge. "Don't be!" She seemed confused again. My mood changes were hard enough for me to tolerate. I could not imagine her confusion and frustration with them.

I looked into the forest and said more to her than I ever wanted to have to say, but I did _have_ to. "It's not only your company I crave! Never forget _that_. Never forget I am more dangerous to you than I am to anyone else."

She seemed to be thinking deeply about my words. By the look on her face I could see they were not reaching her the way I hoped.

"I don't think I understand exactly what you mean – by that last part anyway." She said.

I looked back at her, away from the forest and smiled. "How do I explain?" I thought for a second. "And without frightening you again…hmmmm." Without thinking about it, I placed my hand back in hers, held it tightly and looked at them together.

"That's amazingly pleasant, the warmth." I sighed.

I continued to ponder the proper way to explain the situation to her. "You know how everyone enjoys different flavors?" She nodded with understanding and I continued. "Some people love chocolate ice cream, others prefer strawberry?"

She nodded again. The look in her eyes indicated she was wondering where I was going with this. At that point, I was wondering where I was going with this.

"Sorry about the food analogy – I couldn't think of another way to explain." I apologized.

She smiled and I smiled back.

"You see, every person smells different, has a different essence. If you locked an alcoholic in a room full of stale beer, he'd gladly drink it. But he could resist, if he wished to, if he were a recovering alcoholic. Now let's say you placed in that room a glass of hundred-year-old brandy, the rarest, finest cognac – and filled the room with its warm aroma – how do you think he would fare then?"

We sat together, silently, looking into each other's eyes – trying to read each other's thoughts.

I spoke first. I was having so much difficulty finding the right analogy.

"Maybe that's not the right comparison. Maybe it would be too easy to turn down the brandy. Perhaps I should have made our alcoholic a heroin addict instead."

She smiled brightly. She seemed to be amused with my effort to explain. "So what you're saying is, I'm your brand of heroin?"

I smiled as soon as those words came out of her mouth. She got it. She found a way to say exactly what I had been struggling to make clear. "Yes, you are _exactly_ my brand of heroin."

We enjoyed the little joke for half a second and then Bella got right on track again, "does that happen often?" she asked.

I thought about how much I should tell her in order to describe it. "I spoke to my brothers about it." I looked towards the trees as I spoke. I didn't want her to look into my eyes and become fearful. "To Jasper, every one of you is much the same. He's the most recent to join our family. It's a struggle for him to abstain at all. He hasn't had time to grow sensitive to the differences in smell, in flavor." I quickly looked her way, to see if she was grasping what I was saying. I was sorry I had to tell her those details. I didn't want her to fear Jasper. I would never let him hurt her.

"Sorry," I said.

She reached out and took my hand as a reassurance that she was fine. "I don't mind. Please don't worry about offending me, or frightening me, or whichever. That's the way you think. I can understand, or I can try to at least. Just explain however you can."

This was so difficult. My goal today was to let Bella know the true me, good and the bad. I would have preferred to share only the good with her, but I knew sharing the bad was necessary as well. She needed to know what she was getting into. I looked towards the sky, as though I might find the answers there.

"So Jasper wasn't sure if he'd ever come across someone who was as" – I debated over the proper wording to use – "appealing as you are to me. Which makes me think not. Emmett has been on the wagon longer, so to speak, and he understood what I meant. He says twice, for him, once stronger than the other."

"And for you?" she asked.

I answered her honestly. "Never."

We were both quiet for several seconds, then she broke the silence. "What did Emmett do?"

Why did she have to ask that question? This was difficult enough for me to tell her without having to share gory details. I felt my teeth clinch, along with my fist inside her hand. I looked away from her. I didn't want her to see the rage in my eyes – the rage over the darkest part of our make-up, the predator side of us. This was a question I was not going to answer.

She looked down at our hands and replied. "I guess I know."

She looked back up and I met her gaze. I hoped she could see my eyes pleading with her for understanding of things that weren't always in our control. "Even the strongest of us fall off the wagon, don't we?"

She clearly missed my intent by her response. "What are you asking? My permission?" There was an edge to her voice. Could she really believe that was what I was asking? "I mean, is there no hope, then?"

Bella was discussing the possibility or probability of her own death. Again, she surprised me.

"No, no!" I answered contritely. "Of course there is hope! I mean, of course I won't…" I looked deeply into her eyes as I finished. "It's different for us. Emmett…these were strangers he happened across. It was a long time ago, and he wasn't as…practiced, as careful as he is now."

I left it at that and watched her intently as she poured over what I had just told her.

"So if we'd met…oh, in a dark alley or something…"

I then explained to her how I felt that first day when she walked into Biology, with her scent blowing towards me. I told her how it hit me like a ton of bricks and how it took everything in my power not to kill her that day, along with the classroom full of witnesses. I explained I was able to control that strongest of urges because I had learned to control my thirst over the years, and because our way of life was totally contingent upon us not acting on those urges – no matter how strong they were.

"You must have thought I was possessed." I said, remembering how terribly I behaved that day.

"I couldn't understand why. How could you hate me so quickly…?"

She thought I hated her. "To me, it was like you were some kind of demon, summoned straight from my own personal hell to ruin me. The fragrance coming off your skin…I thought it would make me deranged that first day." I continued to tell her how I had thought of a hundred different ways to get her alone. Having to admit those horrible thoughts to her was painful, but at least I knew she knew _all_ of me now.

"You would have come," I assured her.

As if it did not scare her a bit to know how closely she had already come to dying at my hands, she answered calmly. "Without a doubt."

She was handling it all pretty well so, I continued to explain to her that when she came into the tiny front office where her scent became much stronger, my desire to harm her and any onlookers was overpowering. It took every ounce of strength and self-control I had to walk out of that office.

She was hanging on my every word, still holding tightly onto my hand. She was showing so much compassion for my pain. It didn't seem fair. I then explained my absence to her.

"I dropped my family off at the house, not telling them a thing about my day and drove to the hospital to talk to Carlisle – to tell him I was leaving." Reliving these memories was almost as painful as the day they occurred. It was easier now only because Bella was alive, here with me.

I told her of taking his car and driving straight from the hospital to Alaska because I could not face my mother. Esme would have been devastated that I was leaving and it would have been impossible to upset her and do what I needed to do, by getting as far away from Forks as I could.

"By the next morning I was in Alaska." She could hear the shame and cowardice in my voice. Looking back on it, I knew that was exactly what I was, a coward. "I spent two days there, with some old acquaintances…but I was homesick. I hated knowing I'd upset Esme, and the rest of them, my adopted family. In the pure air of the mountains it was hard to believe you were so irresistible. I convinced myself it was weak to run away. I'd dealt with temptation before, not of this magnitude, not even close, but I was strong. Who were you, an insignificant little girl"—I smiled – "to chase me from the place I wanted to be? So I came back…" I looked out into the trees again. Bella wasn't saying a word.

I told her of the precautions I had taken, hunting and feeding more than usual before I saw her again, in hopes that it would give me the strength to be near her and treat her like every other human I came in contact with.

Then I explained the fact that since I could not read her mind, the situation was much more complicated, because I was unsure of her reactions to me. I admitted to her that I had sunk so low as to read Jessica's thoughts in an effort to know what she was thinking. I told Bella how it made me feel like a peeping tom and I despised myself for going to those lengths.

"I wanted you to forget my behavior that first day, if possible, so I tried to talk with you like I would with any other person. I was eager, actually, hoping to decipher some of your thoughts. But you were too interesting. I found myself caught up in your expressions…and every now and then you would stir the air with your hand in your hair, and the scent would stun me again…"

My agonizing confession continued, remembering the day she was nearly killed by the van. I revealed I was concerned about what would have happened if her blood had spilled upon the pavement. I then re-assured her that my first reaction was "Not her."

"You had just come into my life Bella and I didn't have the answers to why you affected me the way you did. I was not ready to let you go that easily. From that moment on I have felt…protective of you," I said in a low voice.

"Oh Edward," she said sympathetically, wrapping her other hand around mine.

"I was appalled. I couldn't believe I had put us in danger after all, put myself in your power – you of all people. As if I needed another motive to kill you." We both flinched as I said that. "But it had the opposite effect," I continued. "I fought with Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper when they suggested that now was the time…the worst fight we've ever had. Carlisle sided with me, and Alice." I couldn't help but to grimace when I said her name because Alice sided with me based on her visions of Bella's future – a future I did not want for her. "Esme told me to do whatever I had to do in order to stay."

I then went on to tell her how I listened in on everyone's thoughts around her the next day at school, in an effort to see if she had kept her word. I told her when I realized she had, in fact kept her word, I didn't understand her. Why would she protect me after I had been so cruel to her?

"I did my very best to stay as far away from you as possible. And every day the perfume of your skin, your breath, your hair…it hit me as hard as the very first day." I looked at her tenderly; I really wanted her to understand I wanted nothing more in this world than to keep her safe despite my primal urges to kill her.

"And for all that," I continued, "I'd have fared better if I _had_ exposed us all at that first moment, than if now, here – with no witnesses and nothing to stop me – I were to hurt you."

"Why?" she asked.

I was going to make sure she understood, and by observing human behavior, I knew the best way to get someone's attention was to use their full name. "Isabella," I said, ruffling her hair with my fingers. I could feel a blast of adrenaline surge through her body as I touched her. "Bella, I could not live with myself if I ever hurt you. You don't know how it's tortured me." I looked down, away from her gaze, ashamed again. "The thought of you, still, white, cold…to never see you blush scarlet again, to never see that flash of intuition in your eyes when you see through my pretenses…it would be unendurable." Slowly, I lifted my eyes to hers, in agony. "You are the most important thing to me now. The most important thing to me ever."

She was reeling. I could tell. So was I. In our time together today we had run the gamut of emotions. From my initial fears of her running away in fear of me, we were now defining what it was we had together.

"You already know how I feel, of course," she said as she continued to focus her eyes on our intertwined hands. "I'm here…which, roughly translated, means I would rather die than stay away from you." She frowned. "I am an idiot."

I had to laugh at her. "You _are_ an idiot." With that, she looked back up at me and I melted into her chocolate eyes as we both laughed at the impossibility of our situation.

"And so the lion fell in love with the lamb," I murmured. She looked away shyly but I saw a slight smile on her lips.

"What a stupid lamb," she sighed.

"What a sick, masochistic lion," I added, looking off into the forest, away from her soft eyes.

"Tell me why you ran from me before," she commanded.

I stopped smiling. "You know why," I answered.

She shook her head. "No, I mean, exactly what did I do wrong? I'll have to be on my guard, you see, so I had better start learning what I shouldn't do. This, for example" – she stroked the back of my hand again – "seems to be all right."

I smiled at her again. She always thought something was amiss with _her_, that _she_ was doing something wrong. "You didn't do anything wrong, Bella. It was my fault."

"But I want to help, if I can, to not make this harder for you." She said. That was typical Bella, always looking to take care of everyone around her before she took care of herself. Didn't she understand? I wanted to take care of _her_.

"Well," I explained, "It was just how close you were. Most humans instinctively shy away from us, are repelled by our alienness…I wasn't expecting you to come so close. And the smell of your _throat_." I stopped to look at her and see if what I had said upset her.

She smiled and answered me in a cheerful voice, as though I had just asked her to go to a movie instead of dinner. "Okay, then," she tucked her chin in. "No throat exposure."

Again, she surprised me. I laughed. "No, really, it was more the surprise than anything else."

I then raised my free hand and laid it gently on her neck. She didn't move but she didn't seem the least bit fearful either. She did, however, seem to be feeling something. What I had done impacted her somehow.

"You see," I reassured her. "Perfectly fine."

I could feel her heart race again and the pink color came back to her cheeks. "The blush on your cheeks is lovely." I said softly, slowly releasing my hand from hers. I raised both of my hands to her face, brushing her cheek gently before taking her face between my hands.

"Be very still," I said. Again, Bella obliged. Her heart was racing with certain anticipation, not knowing what I had in mind.

I kept my eyes on hers, so she could see I meant her no harm. I leaned toward her and slowly, gently, lay my cold cheek against the base of her throat. My cheek fit into the hollow of her neck like a puzzle piece. The warmth was so comforting. I lingered there for a moment and then slowly slid my hands from her cheeks down her neck. Still, she remained completely still.

I took a deep breath and moved my hands to her shoulders, where I stopped. I moved my face to one side, holding my nose closely to her collarbone, enveloping myself in her scent. Then I pressed my face gently against her chest.

I could hear her heart beat. It was like a song to me. This was the closest I had let myself get to Bella and it would be difficult to ever find myself in a more compromising position. If I could resist my urge to taste her blood now, it should become easier to tolerate in the future.

Hearing her heart and feeling her warmth as the wind gently blew her hair against my face was so comforting. This must be what it was like to be a child, surrounded by the safety and warmth of its mother's womb.

When I was certain I had proven to myself that I could handle that level of intimacy with Bella, I released her. I was at peace. I had always been so certain I was destined for hell, but at that moment I couldn't imagine heaven being any more beautiful or perfect than it was right there, in our meadow, together.

"It won't be so hard again," I said, feeling confident and satisfied that the temptation of her blood to me would be easier to resist after today.

She finally moved, though slightly. "Was that very hard for you?" she asked.

"Not nearly as bad as I imagined it would be. And you?" She had remained completely still during my experiment. I hoped she wasn't frozen with fear.

"No, it wasn't bad…for me." She said

"Here," I said, taking her hand, placing it against my cheek. "Do you feel how warm it is?" My skin wasn't quite as warm as a human's skin, but it was far warmer than its usual ice cold temperature.

She smiled with pleasure. "Don't move," she whispered.

That was easy enough. I had to make an effort to move. Staying still was insanely easy for our kind. I closed my eyes and imagined myself as a Michelangelo statue and Bella was my audience.

She moved very slowly, caressing my cheek, stroking my eyelids and tracing the shape of my nose. Finally, her fingers touched my lips. At that point I found it difficult to keep perfectly still – the touch of her warm fingers on my lips was exhilarating. I parted my lips slightly, letting a hint of breath escape.

She dropped her hand and leaned back, away from me. She was being cautious, no doubt afraid of sending me running into the woods again.

I opened my eyes and looked at her full of desire – not for her blood, but for her body. If I wasn't such a gentleman and didn't realize how fragile she was in her human shell I would have reacted with all the passion that was raging inside me. I was feeling human sensations for the first time since I could remember. She must have felt the same because I could see her body become more rigid, her veins pulsing just under the surface of her pale skin.

"I wish," I whispered to her, "I wish you could feel the…complexity…the confusion…I feel…that you could understand." I then raised my hand to her hair and brushed it across her face.

She breathed softly. "Tell me."

"I don't think I can. I've told you, on the one hand, the hunger – the thirst – that, deplorable creature that I am, I feel for you. And I think you can understand that, to an extent. Though" – I smirked – "as you are not addicted to any illegal substances, you probably can't empathize completely."

"But," I added, touching my fingers gently to her lips, sending a shiver through her body. "There are other hungers. Hunger I don't even understand, that are foreign to me."

She smiled at me. "I may understand _that_ better than you think."

Now it was her turn to make me grasp these foreign emotions. "I'm not used to feeling so human. Is it always like this?"

"For me?" she paused. "No, never. Never before this."

I then held her hands between mine. "I don't know how to be close to you," I admitted. "I don't know if I can."

She leaned forward, looking at me for a moment before placing her cheek against my chest. She would not hear my heartbeat as I did hers. I had no heart. I was a hollow man.

"This is enough," she sighed as she closed her eyes.

Her words gave me great comfort and hope. I put my arms around her and pressed my face into her hair, enveloping myself in its scent.

"You're better at this than you give yourself credit for," she reassured me.

I was beginning to feel emotions that I had never felt before, thanks to this girl I held in my arms. "I have human instincts – they may be buried deep, but they're there."

We sat like that, her wrapped in my arms and my face resting in her thick, soft hair, until the light began to fade. I knew then, as much as I didn't want the day to end, I had to return Bella to her father. I promised Alice I would. I promised Bella I would and I promised myself that I would.

"You have to go." I said reluctantly.

"I thought you couldn't read my mind." She retorted.

"It's getting clearer."

I reached for her shoulders and she looked into my face.

"Can I show you something?" I asked with great excitement. There was one more part of me I had not shown her.

"Show me what?" she asked. I am sure she couldn't imagine what was left to reveal to her.

"I'll show you how _I_ travel in the forest." I was as excited as a child at Christmas would be. She, on the other hand, looked slightly frightened. "Don't worry, you'll be safe, and we'll get to your truck much faster." I thought if I used my crooked smile that seemed to dazzle her she might be more open to the idea.

"Will you turn into a bat?" she asked. I wasn't sure if she was joking or serious.

I let out a deep laugh. "Like I haven't heard _that_ one before!"

She let out a breath and answered. "Right, I'm sure you get that all the time."

I smiled encouragingly at her, "Come on, little coward, climb on my back."

She hesitated. She had no idea what I wanted from her or what she was in for. I reached out for Bella and as her heart began to race, I gently, but quickly, lifted her onto my back. She wrapped her arms and legs around me like a vice-grip. I hardly felt it through my stone exterior but I knew she was holding on for dear life.

She made a joke about being heavier than a back-pack and I laughed. Clearly she did not understand my strength. I then swiftly took her hand and pressed it to my face, inhaling deeply and breathing in her scent. "Easier all the time," I muttered.

Then I began running. Even the fastest human alive could not touch my speed and agility. I was quicker than anyone in my family. I wasn't as strong as Emmett or as fluid as Alice but I still had to be a sight to behold – a regular airplane in a man's body, jetting silently through the forest.

Running was what I did when I needed to clear my head or to reach Bella's house in the middle of the night, when traveling in my car would be too conspicuous. Running was a release for me and now I could share that with Bella. I hoped she would find it as relaxing as I did.

In a matter of minutes we were back at her truck. "Exhilarating, isn't it?" I asked her excitedly. I stood still, waiting for her to climb off of my back, but she didn't move. Her grip was still tight around me.

"Bella?"

She gasped for air and answered me, "I think I need to lie down." I could feel her body begin to tremble.

"Oh, sorry," I said, giving her time to climb down.

"I think I need help," she admitted begrudgingly.

I laughed and loosened her grip around my neck, pulling her around to face me, holding her in my arms like a child. I cradled her like that for a moment then realized she might actually be more comfortable lying on the ferns than in my stone grip.

"How do you feel?" I asked.

She looked completely disoriented. "Dizzy, I think."

"Put your head between your knees," I suggested.

I sat down beside her as she complied, taking slow breaths in and out, holding her head still to combat the dizziness. Finally she slowly raised her head.

I smiled at her. "I guess that wasn't the best idea."

Her voice was weak but she tried to put a positive spin on it. "No, it was very interesting."

I laughed even louder. She was such a martyr. "Hah! You're as white as a ghost – no, you're as white as _me_!"

"I think I should have closed my eyes."

"Remember that next time." I said.

She groaned at the mention of that. "Next time!"

I laughed again. Even though she had some minor side-effects from the trip down the mountain I was ecstatic. It had been the perfect day. She had experienced my life and wanted to stay.

"Show-off," she muttered.

"Open your eyes Bella," I said quietly.

My face was close to hers and I told her I had thought of something when I was running. "I was thinking, there was something I wanted to try." I then took her face in my hands again.

She seemed to be having difficulty breathing. The flight down had left her winded. I hesitated for a moment; trying to work my courage up, trying to make sure I could handle the closeness I was considering.

I slowly moved my face in towards hers, finally touching my lips against her full, warm mouth. I was handling it just fine, until her heart began to race wildly. I was not prepared for Bella's reaction.

She let out a wild gasp of air and pulled me towards her, with her fingers knotted in my hair. She was not the frail human who needed to lie down when we came down from the meadow. She was fierce, with desire.

I had to gain control before it got so far out of hand that I could not manage myself. I stopped kissing her and gently pushed her face away from mine.

"Oops," she breathed.

"That's an understatement," I added.

I continued to hold her face just inches from mine, but my eyes were dancing with confusion and excitement. I clenched my jaw to keep from breathing too much of her scent in. By the look on her face I was dazzling her again.

"Should I…?" she began to ask, trying to pull away from me. I refused to loosen my grip on her. I didn't want her to go away.

"No, it's tolerable. Wait for a moment please," I asked. Despite the strong desire I was feeling for her, I knew it was more appropriate to be a gentleman. She was still just a girl.

Finally, I smiled a pleased grin. "There." I said with a sign of relief and pride.

"Tolerable?" she asked.

I laughed out loud this time. "I'm stronger than I thought. It's nice to know."

She was apologetic. "I wish I could say the same. I'm sorry."

"You _are_ only human, after all." I responded.

I quickly rose to my feet. I am sure she didn't even notice the transition. One moment I was sitting next to her, the next I was standing, reaching my hand down to her to help her up. She took my hand and I could see she was still un-steady.

I had to take the opportunity to make a joke. "Are you still faint from the run? Or was it my kissing expertise?" I was at ease with Bella. I didn't have the pressure of keeping secrets from her or exerting energy to maintain my façade. I was comfortable and content, just getting to be myself with her.

"I can't be sure, I'm still woozy," she responded. "I think it's some of both, though."

I could still see just how light-headed she was. "Maybe you should let me drive."

"Are you insane?" she protested. She obviously had more strength than she let on.

"I can drive better than you on your best day," I teased. "You have much slower reflexes."

She was having none of that. "I'm sure that's true, but I don't think my nerves, or my truck, could take it."

"Some trust, please, Bella." I said coyly. Maybe if I dazzled her she would let me drive.

She reached into her pocket and held on to her keys tightly. She grinned slightly and shook her head.

I could not believe the stubbornness of this girl. I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. I guess dazzling wouldn't work in this situation.

"Nope. Not a chance," she protested.

As she started to walk around me to the driver's door, she wobbled. I quickly wrapped my arm around her waist to prevent her from taking a step further.

"Bella, I've already expended a great deal of personal effort at this point to keep you alive. I'm not about to let you behind the wheel of a vehicle when you can't even walk straight. Besides, friends don't let friends drive drunk," I laughed.

"Drunk?" she objected, like I was going to give in to her demands at this point.

"You're intoxicated by my very presence," I smirked. I had to be dazzling her. I was sure of it.

"I can't argue with that," she relented. She held out the key and dropped it into my hand. She lost the battle. "Take it easy – my truck is a senior citizen."

I agreed. "Very sensible."

She seemed a little irked by my confidence. "And you are not affected at all? By my presence?"

I responded silently, at first, bending my face down to hers, brushing my lips slowly along her jaw, from her ear to her chin, back and forth.

"Regardless," I finally murmured, "I have better reflexes."

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A/N: PLEASE HIT THE LITTLE REVIEW BUTTON AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK.


	5. Chapter 14 MIND OVER MATTER

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan-fiction based on Stephenie Meyers' Twilight Series. (No copyright infringement intended).

* * *

Bella certainly was in no condition to drive. Besides, I liked the control of being behind the wheel, even if it was behind the wheel of a vehicle slow enough to have come right out of a Flintstones cartoon. Compared to my Volvo her truck drove like someone attached a governor to it. If her father was as concerned about her propensity for trouble as I was, he probably _did_ have a governor installed.

The slow drive home was worth it. When I was forced to drive at a reasonable speed with Bella I had time to enjoy observing her. I didn't really watch the road. My driving ability was beyond reproach. I had never had an accident and drove more by the feel of it rather than the sight of the road. I kept one hand on the wheel and held on to her hand with the other. I still wasn't ready for the day to end.

Driving the old truck made me nostalgic for some of my favorite music. I tuned the radio to a fifties station and began to sing along. I knew the word to every song. Music was a true passion of mine.

"You like fifties music?" Bella asked curiously. I thought I had already proven that I had diverse musical interests.

"Music in the fifties was good. Much better than the sixties, or the seventies, ugh!" I shuddered to even think about those two decades of horrid music. "The eighties were bearable."

"Are you ever going to tell me how old you are?" she asked pointedly.

The question didn't bother me. After today, there was not much she could say or do that would affect me negatively. I smiled and asked, "Does it matter much?"

She seemed frustrated by my avoidance of the question. "No, but I still wonder. There's nothing like an unsolved mystery to keep you up at night."

I looked out into the setting sun and thought about her request. "I wonder if it will upset you."

"Try me." She said.

I sighed and looked into her eyes. When I saw the interest and the love in her eyes I knew I had no option other than to answer her question.

"I was born in Chicago in 1901." I paused and glanced at Bella out of the corner of my eye. She seemed unfazed and was patiently waiting to hear the rest. I managed a slight smile, pleased that I could tell her my story. "Carlisle found me in a hospital in the summer of 1918. I was seventeen, and dying of the Spanish influenza."

I could hear Bella take in a deep breath and I looked into her eyes again. She still seemed comfortable, despite her physical response. Surely this was difficult for her to take in. I came from a different time, a time she almost certainly could not relate to in any way.

"I don't remember it well – it was a very long time ago, and human memories fade." I thought about that before continuing. I hope she understood the depth of those words. I hoped she would never want my life, to give up the memories of the mother and father she loved so dearly. "I do remember how it felt, when Carlisle saved me. It's not an easy thing, not something you could forget."

"Your parents?" she asked.

"They had already died from the disease," I explained. "I was alone. That is why he chose me. In all the chaos of the epidemic, no one would ever realize I was gone."

She pushed for more information. "How did he…save you?"

I paused again and carefully considered my words before continuing. I wanted her to understand that the process was not easy, hoping she would never want to go through that herself. I also did not want to frighten her so much that she would stay away from me. After today though, I was certain she was going nowhere.

"It was difficult. Not many of us have the restraint necessary to accomplish it. But Carlisle has always been the most humane, the most compassionate of us…I don't think you could find his equal throughout all of history." I paused again before I described how it was for me. "For me, it was merely very, very painful." That was all I would tell Bella. That was enough to satisfy her curiosity and keep her from asking for more details I was unwilling to divulge.

I could tell she was thinking about what I said and I was grateful for that. She should not be duped by Hollywood into believing all the stereotypes.

"He acted from loneliness," I explained. "That's usually the reason behind the choice." I then went on to tell her that I was the first member of Carlisle's family, soon followed by Esme. I told her Esme had fallen from a cliff and was brought straight to the morgue, though her heart was somehow still beating. It was not my place to tell the darkest details of any of our stories.

"So you must be dying, then, to become…" she hadn't said the word _vampire_ and I could tell she was hesitant to speak it now.

I saved her from her verbal dilemma. "No, that's just Carlisle. He would never do that to someone who had another choice." I spoke in a low voice as I thought about the sacrifices Carlisle had made for so many people and for our family. He was the most admirable man I knew. "It is easier he says, though, if the blood is weak."

She prodded further. "And Emmett and Rosalie?"

I then explained to Bella how Carlisle brought Rosalie into our family next, in the 1930's – though I did not hint at her tragic story, the most tragic of any of ours. "I didn't know until much later that he was hoping that she would be to me what Esme was to him – he was careful with his thoughts around me." I rolled my eyes at the notion of that match. "But she was never more than a sister. It was only two years later that she found Emmett."

I told her how we were in Appalachia at that time and Rosalie had been out hunting when she came across Emmett, about to be finished off by a bear. I explained how Rosalie had carried Emmett over 100 miles to Carlisle because she feared she would not be able to change him herself. "I'm only beginning to guess how difficult that journey was for her." I looked directly at Bella when I said that, raising our joined hands up to brush her check gently.

Bella was touched by Emmett and Rosalie's story, even though Rosalie had been so cruel to her. "But she made it." She seemed encouraged by the face that, deep down, Rosalie actually did have compassion.

"Yes," I murmured. "She saw something in his face that made her strong enough. And they've been together ever since." I smiled and explained to her that sometimes they lived separate from us, as a married couple and other times, with us as siblings.

She then asked about Alice and Jasper. The progression was only natural.

"Alice and Jasper are two very rare creatures. They both developed a conscience, as we refer to it, with no outside guidance. Jasper belonged to another…family, a _very_ different kind of family. He became depressed, and wandered on his own. Alice found him. Like me, she has certain gifts above and beyond the norm for our kind." I explained.

"Really?" she interrupted, excited at that information. "But you said you were the only one who could hear people's thoughts."

I clarified it further for her so she would not think I had tried to deceive her. "That's true. She knows other things. She _sees_ things – things that might happen, things that are coming. But it's very subjective. The future isn't set in stone. Things change."

Bella wondered aloud what kind of things Alice saw and I told her how she saw Jasper before even he knew he was looking for her, then how she saw our family and came along with Jasper to find us. "She's most sensitive to non-humans. She always sees, for example, when another group of our kind is coming near. And any threat they may pose."

She was surprised. "Are there a lot…of your kind?"

I was sure she thought our family was anomalous and we were a rarity in our choice to be "vegetarians", but by no means were we the only vampires. I told her about Tonya's family in Denali and how we had all lived there together at one time, until we had to move away to keep the locals from questioning our situation. Then I went on to explain that most of our kind were Nomads, never settling in one place long enough to be detected.

"Most of us prefer the North," I said as I pulled the truck in front of her house and turned the engine off. Chief Swan was not home yet.

"Why is that?" she asked, as if the explanation was not obvious. The answer was obvious to me and I thought, after seeing me today, it would be obvious to her.

"Did you have your eyes open this afternoon?" I teased. "Do you think I could walk down the street in the sunlight without causing traffic accidents? There's a reason why we chose the Olympic Peninsula, one of the most sunless places in the world. It's nice to be able to go outside during the day. You wouldn't believe how tired you can get of nighttime in eighty-odd years."

Now she was starting to put the puzzle pieces together in her head. "So that's where the legends came from?"

"Probably," I replied.

She then asked if Alice came from another family, like Jasper. I explained that Alice had no memory of her human life. She had no idea who created her and had woken up alone. I told her that whoever had made her walked away, which was not commonplace. "If she hadn't had the other sense, if she hadn't seen Jasper and Carlisle and known that she would someday become one of us, she probably would have turned into a total savage."

Bella chuckled at the thought of sweet little Alice as a savage. Bella should not underestimate Alice either. No one should. She took care of herself and Jasper for some time and was quite capable of terrible destruction. That thought made me smile.

Suddenly I heard Bella's stomach rumble and remembered she hadn't eaten all day. I hadn't spent enough time around humans for extended periods of time. I easily forgot how frequently they needed to eat. "I'm sorry, I'm keeping you from dinner."

Bella responded quickly. "I'm fine, really. I want to stay with you."

"Can't I come in?" I asked.

She seemed surprised that I would ask. "Would you like to?"

"Yes, if it's all right," I said as I got out of the truck and moved around to open her door for her.

"Very human," she smiled at my act of chivalry.

"It's definitely resurfacing."

I walked with Bella up to the front door and quickly reached for the key the Swans kept hidden under the eave. My move was so quick, Bella didn't even notice. "The door was unlocked?" she asked, concerned that she had made a mistake.

"No, I used the key from under the eave." I revealed.

She stepped inside and flipped on the porch light for Charlie. I could still see by the expression on her face that she could not understand how I knew where the key was. I couldn't read her mind, but her expressions were becoming clearer for me to decipher.

"I was curious about you." I explained.

"You spied on me?" she asked.

She wasn't angry and I wasn't sorry. "What else is there to do at night?" I moved into the kitchen and sat down at the small table while she went about warming up left-over lasagna for dinner. I was already familiar with the house from my nightly reconnaissance missions.

"How often do you come here?" she finally asked still facing the counter, away from me.

"I come here almost every night." I was not keeping secrets from Bella any longer and I might as well fess up.

She spun around, confused. "Why?"

"You're interesting when you sleep," I explained. "You talk."

The pink flush immediately returned to her cheeks. She was embarrassed, mortified rather. "No!" She even had to grasp the kitchen countertop to keep from crumbling from the realization I had seen her at her most vulnerable.

I was concerned that I had upset her, without intending to. "Are you very angry with me?" I asked.

"That depends!" she exclaimed, breathing deeply.

"On?" I asked. I couldn't imagine why this would have made her angry.

"What you heard!" she wailed. Boy was she mad. I actually like seeing the fire I knew lived inside her, but didn't want it to be directed towards me. I moved to her side and took her hands in mine.

"Don't be upset!" I pleaded with her. I dropped my head down so my eyes would be at the same level with hers. She tried to look away but couldn't.

I tried to reassure her by revealing what I had heard. "You miss your mother," I whispered. "You worry about her. And when it rains, the sound makes you restless. You used to talk about home a lot but it is less often now. Once you said, 'It's too _green_.'" I chuckled.

"Anything else?" she demanded. I could tell she still didn't believe I had told her everything.

"You did say my name," I admitted.

"A lot?" she sighed. I could tell by her defeatist attitude that this was exactly what she had feared.

"How much do you mean by 'a lot' exactly?"

She hung her head in abject embarrassment. "Oh no!"

I pulled her against my chest, softly. I wanted to comfort her and reassure her that I thought that her nocturnal revelations were endearing.

I whispered in her ear, "Don't be self-conscious. If I could dream at all, it would be about you. And I'm not ashamed of it."

Just as I said that we both heard Charlie pull up out front. "Should your father know I'm here?" I asked.

She thought quickly and said, "I'm not sure…"

"Another time then…" I whispered and then quickly exited the back of the house.

I was still close enough to hear Bella call, "Edward!" I had to laugh. I would not be far and I'd see her soon enough.

Bella and Charlie ate their Lasagna and reviewed their days with each other. I could tell from Charlie's side of it, Bella was in a hurry.

It wasn't long before she appeared in her room. After my revelation to her earlier, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that she had _expected_ me to be there.

"Edward?" she whispered, searching the darkness for me.

"Yes?" I laughed from behind her. I was lying comfortably on her small bed, my feet hanging off the end and my hands behind my head. I think I scared her to death. She spun around, grabbing her throat.

"Oh!" she gasped, sinking to the floor.

"I'm sorry." I apologized, trying not to laugh.

"Just give me a moment to restart my heart."

I slowly sat up, trying not to frighten her any further. I gently grasped her by the top of her arms and lifted her onto the bed beside me.

We sat there for a few moments while her heart rate returned to normal. I could not believe her reaction. Again, I expected her to _expect_ me to be in her room. Perhaps actually seeing me there for the first time was what shocked her.

"Can I have a minute to be human?" she asked.

"Certainly," I said, raising one hand to encourage her to do as she needed.

She turned to me and pleaded, "Stay."

"Yes, ma'am," I complied.

She leapt off the bed and gathered her pajamas and bathroom necessities from her desk. She left the light off and slipped out the door, closing it behind her.

I obeyed her wishes and waited patiently for her to return. I didn't move an inch. I just scanned her room with my eyes, seeing things in a new light after days of questioning and gathering more insight on her.

There was a bulletin board with a drawing of her and her dad she had made as a child, with Bella scrawled across the bottom in crayon. There were pictures of her with her mom standing in front of a cactus and another with Renee and Phil at a ball field. There were various mementos such as tickets from concerts and ball games she had attended. I noticed a picture of her and a woman that must have been her Grandmother Swan.

Everything in her room indicated a typical teen-age girl lived in it, but Bella was far from typical and far more mature than any teen-age girl I had ever met.

It wasn't very long before I heard her shout down to Charlie. "Night, Dad."

"Night Bella." He replied back.

Suddenly she was back. She was standing next to her bed in her usual sleeping attire, comfortable gray sweatpants and a holey t-shirt. The way she tossed and turned at night she needed comfortable clothing to sleep in. I deduced that she had worn the holes in the shirt from her sleep pattern. Her hair was damp and I could smell the strawberry scent of her shampoo. I raised one eyebrow in approval. "Nice," I said.

The grimace on her face indicated she was not in agreement with my feelings.

"No, it looks good on you." I meant that. Aside from that awful sweater, I had not seen one thing that looked bad on Bella. She was what most humans described as "the girl next door" and I loved that about her. There was no one in the world, human or inhuman that was more beautiful to me than she was.

Bella made no secret of the fact that she believed Rosalie was the epitome of true beauty. I saw things differently. Bella didn't wear make-up and she didn't need to. She had naturally radiant skin and her dark, chocolate eyes were that much more exotic against her pale complexion. Bella's beauty emanated from within.

She returned to my side, sitting cross-legged, looking down at the floor. "Thanks," she whispered. I only wished she could comprehend how truly beautiful I found her.

"What was all that for?" I asked, referring to her stomping and slamming of doors.

"Charlie thinks I'm sneaking out." She answered with a frustrated smirk.

"Oh." How could he think that? Sneaking out wasn't Bella's style. He needed to be more concerned with whom, or what, was sneaking in. "Why?" I asked.

"Apparently, I look a little over-exited." She grinned.

I reached for her face and with my fingers I gently lifted her chin, admiring her flawless face.

"You look very warm, actually." I said. I then bent my face towards her, laying my cheek against her skin. Feeling her warmth against my cool skin made me feel more…human. Her warmth enveloped me. "Mmmmmm…" I breathed her scent in.

She wasn't saying much. I had a feeling I was dazzling her again.

"It seems to be…much easier for you, now to be close to me." She finally said.

I glided my nose to the corner of her jaw, gently moving her damp hair out of the way so that I could kiss the hollow space beneath her ear. "Does it seem that way to you?" I murmured, never opening my eyes.

"Much, much easier," she breathed slowly. She was trying to be very still. She had been very cautious of her movements since my over-reaction earlier today in the meadow.

"Hmmm." I purred.

"So, I was wondering…" she said as I ran my fingers lightly across her collarbone. Yes. She was dazzled. She couldn't even complete a thought.

"Yes?" I breathed.

"Why is that," she asked, her voice trembling, "do you think?"

I laughed lightly at her exhibition of human weakness. "Mind over matter." I stated.

She pulled back from me and I didn't move. I instinctively stopped breathing. We both looked at each other with caution, wondering what the other had done and what her reaction had meant. I looked at her with confusion, hoping she would explain.

"Did I do something wrong?" I asked. Not being able to read her mind was extremely frustrating.

"No – the opposite. You're driving me crazy," she responded.

That pleased me. I couldn't help but to smile as I pondered her answer. As new feelings and emotions surfaced for me they seemed to be awakening within her as well. "Really?" I asked.

I must have sounded arrogant by her response. "Would you like a round of applause?"

I continued to smile. Nothing could take the smile off of my face. Yes, I was pleased with myself and I was _with_ Bella. That always made me smile. "I'm just pleasantly surprised," I said. "In the last hundred years or so I never imagined anything like this. I didn't believe I would ever find someone I wanted to be with…in another way than my brothers and sisters. And then to find, even though it's all new to me, that I'm good at it…at being with you…"

"You're good at everything," she pointed out.

I shrugged my shoulders. I couldn't argue with that. I had yet to find anything I was not good at but this whole human emotion thing was unchartered territory for me.

She asked me how it had gotten so easy for me, given how difficult it had been as early as this afternoon in the meadow. I apologized for my awful behavior then and told her that it wasn't so much _easy_ as I had found the strength within me to fight that urge. I lifted one of her hands to my face and breathed in the scent from her wrist, to prove to her I was able to handle this closeness. "Mind over matter," I reiterated.

My mood turned serious, feeling the inner turmoil that still plagued me when it came to Bella. "I'm trying," I said. "If it gets to be…too much, I'm fairly sure I'll be able to leave."

Her face puckered with displeasure. She didn't want to think of me leaving any more than I did.

I explained to her that, every time I was away from her for any length of time, it would be more difficult again. I told her it was easier for me tonight than before because I had been breathing her scent in all day, de-sensitizing myself to it. Each time I went away and came back, it was like the first day I caught her scent.

"Don't go away then," she pleaded. She must have decided I could hide in her closet every night while she slept. Surely Charlie wouldn't notice my presence.

I smiled and gently wrapped my fingers around _her_ wrists. "That suits me. Bring on the shackles. I am your prisoner."

"You seem more optimistic than usual," she pointed out. "I haven't seen you like this before."

I smiled at her. She was finally relaxed around me. She trusted me. She realized I only wanted to love her and protect her – not hurt her. I liked seeing this version of Bella – no emotional walls.

"Isn't it supposed to be like this?" I asked. "The glory of first love, and all that. It's incredible, isn't it, the difference between reading about something, seeing it in the pictures, and experiencing it?"

"Very different," she agreed. "More forceful than I'd imagined."

We were both experiencing this first love thing together, only it had taken me nearly 100 years to experience it. But it was so powerful and so magnificent and intoxicating, it was worth every decade I spent alone.

I tried to explain another emotion I was feeling to Bella – jealousy. I was unsure of what it was at first. I realized what the emotion was after I experienced the same sensation each time one of the boys at school asked her out. I told her I tried not to care, but I found it impossible.

I confessed to her that the day all the boys had lined up to ask her to the dance was the first night I had come to her room. I watched her sleep; hoping the answer would come to me in dealing with what I knew was _right_ vs. what I _wanted_.

"And then," I whispered seductively, "as you were sleeping, you said my name. You spoke so clearly, at first I thought you'd woken. But you rolled over restlessly and mumbled my name once more, and sighed. The feeling that coursed through me then was unnerving, staggering. And I knew I couldn't ignore you any longer." I paused for a moment. I could hear her heart race and I had to be sure why –it was not out of anger that I heard her call my name, she was moved by the affect her words had on me.

"But jealousy…it's a strange thing. So much more powerful than I would have thought. And irrational! Just now, when Charlie asked you about that vile Mike Newton…"I shook my head in totally disgust.

"I should have known you'd be listening," she groaned. I don't think she would ever get used to my gift.

"Of course." I grinned.

"_That_ made you feel jealous, though, really?"

"I'm new at this; you're resurrecting the human in me and everything feels stronger because it's fresh."

I had so many new feelings and emotions coming to "life" within me that I wasn't sure how I was going to manage them. Being this close to Bella was not only difficult because of her scent but because she was a beautiful woman and I was feeling cravings for her that I had never anticipated. I was a gentleman vampire though and I would not act on those desires – not yet.

My revelation opened the door for Bella to express her insecurity over not being comparable to Rosalie. Of course she wasn't – not even close. Rosalie was beautiful, but shallow and self-centered. That lessened her beauty to me.

"There's no competition." I reassured her, pulling her arms around my back, gathering her into my chest.

"I _know_ there's no competition," she mumbled. She had taken it the wrong way. "That's the problem."

"Of course Rosalie is beautiful, in her way, but even if she wasn't like a sister to me, even if Emmett didn't belong with her, she could never have one tenth, no, one hundredth of the attraction you hold for me." I spoke with such sincerity and thoughtfulness; I hoped it would help her understand how strongly I felt towards her. "For almost ninety years I've walked among my kind and yours…all the time thinking I was complete in myself, not realizing what I was seeking. And not finding anything, because you weren't alive yet."

When she spoke, it was typical Bella – selflessly, the exact opposite of how Rosalie would have responded. "It hardly seems fair," she whispered, not moving from my hold on her. "I haven't had to wait at all. Why should I get off so easily?"

I grinned and chuckled slightly. Only Bella would think she was getting off easily. "You're right. I should make this harder for you, definitely." I took one of her hands in mine and, with the other hand, gently stroked her wet hair that hung to her waist. "You only have to risk your life every second you spend with me, that's surely not much. You only have to turn your back on nature, on humanity…what's that worth?"

"Very little – I don't feel deprived of anything."

How simply she thought of everything. Mortality and immortality were so much more complicated than she seemed to grasp.

Her words filled me with an overwhelming sadness. I did not want for her what I had suffered through. Of course my parents were already gone when Carlisle changed me, but years of this existence had wiped away most of my human memories. If it weren't for Bella bringing out those emotions in me now, allowing me to share with her those human experiences I never had…

I held on tightly to her wrists. I could tell she was trying to move back, to look at me. I did not want her to see the expression on my face. It was bad enough the tone of my voice was giving a hint of my sadness. Just then, I heard Charlie coming quietly up the stairs.

"Lie down!" I hissed at her. Then I stepped back into the darkness where he could not see me. Sure enough, be peeked in on her to make sure she was still in her room. She breathed in and out deeply to convince him she was sleeping soundly. What a horrible actress. Fortunately Charlie believed her and retired to his room for the night.

I then returned to her bed and lay down next to her, on top of the quilt so it served as a barrier between her and my cold skin.

"Should I sing you to sleep?" I asked. I began to hum the lullaby I had composed at home for her. She had never heard it before.

She laughed. "Right. Like I could sleep with you here."

I had to remind her of the obvious. "You do it all the time."

She rolled her eyes and reached over to lay her hand on my chest. It still sent shockwaves through me when she touched me. Why didn't she run away like every other human would? She seemed to have no survival instincts whatsoever.

She scolded me with her reply. "But I didn't _know_ you were here."

"So if you don't want to sleep…" I said, ignoring her tone. She caught her breath. I surprised her.

"If I don't want to sleep…?" she asked.

I laughed. I enjoyed teasing her. She was so easy "What do you want to do then?"

"I'm not sure," she answered. I could almost hear the gears in her head turning. Her heart was certainly racing.

I thought I would further complicate her decision process by running my nose along her neck, breathing her scent in deeply.

"I thought you were de-sensitized," she whispered.

"Just because I'm resisting the wine doesn't mean I can't appreciate the bouquet," I whispered. "You have a very floral smell, like lavender…or freesia," I added. "It's mouthwatering."

"I've decided what I want to do," she answered. "I want to hear more about you."

Her willpower was certainly something to be marveled at.

"Ask me anything." I said. Being so close to her and feeling the warmth radiate from her body, breathing in her scent made me vulnerable. She could have asked me anything and I would have complied, without hesitation.

"Why do you do it?" she asked. "I still don't understand how you can work so hard to resist what you…_are_, Please don't misunderstand, of course I'm glad that you do. I just don't see why you would bother in the first place."

I gave what she asked some thought before I answered her. "That's a good question, and you are not the first one to ask it. The others – the majority of our kind who are quite content with our lot – they, too, wonder at how we live. But you see, just because we've been…dealt a certain hand…it doesn't mean that we can't choose to rise above – to conquer the boundaries of a destiny that none of us wanted. To try to retain whatever essential humanity we can."

She didn't move for a few minutes, "Did you fall asleep?" I asked.

"No."

I thought I was getting off easy. "Is that all you are curious about?"

I saw her roll her eyes. "Not quite."

"What else do you want to know?" I asked.

"Why can you read minds – why only you? And Alice, seeing the future…why does that happen?"

I shrugged. I wasn't sure I completely understood the whys myself. "We don't really know. Carlisle has a theory…he believes that we all bring something of our strongest human traits with us into the next life, where they are intensified – like our minds, and our senses. He thinks that I must have already been very sensitive to the thoughts of those around me. And that Alice has some precognition, wherever she was."

She went on to ask what the others brought into this life. I explained that Carlisle brought his compassion, Esme her ability to love passionately, Emmett his strength and Rosalie her tenacity. Then I tried to explain to her how Jasper had the ability to control the emotions of those around him, calming a tense situation or exciting a lethargic group.

She took in all the information I had beset her with. Then she asked me how it all started. She knew, obviously, that Carlisle had created me and that someone had to create him, but she wanted to understand the beginning.

"Well, where did you come from?" I posed to her. "Evolution? Creation? Couldn't we have evolved in the same way as other species, predator or prey? Or, if you don't believe that all this world could have just happened on its own, which is hard for me to accept myself, is it so hard to believe that the same force that created the delicate angelfish with the shark, the baby seal and the killer whale, could create both of our kinds together?"

"Let me get this straight – I'm the baby seal, right?"

"Right." I laughed, gently pressing my lips to her hair. Resisting her was going to be so difficult. But I had to remember I didn't kill her today. I had resisted an urge I thought impossible, so surely I could resist this human desire.

"Are you ready to sleep?" I asked. "Or do you have more questions?"

"Only a million or two," she retorted, snuggling closer to me. How could she find my cold, stone figure comforting? I imagined it would have been like sidling up to a block of ice for her.

I reassured her there was time. "We have tomorrow, and the next day, and the next…" She sighed with relief and closed her eyes, comforted by my promise.

"Are you sure you won't vanish in the morning?" she asked. "You are mythical, after all."

"I won't leave you." I promised her. I never wanted to leave her. I wanted every day and every night to be just as this one had – magical and real.

She was much like a young child who fought sleep off, talking their heads off until they passed out. She had another question but seemed to be embarrassed to ask it. Even in the darkness of her room I could feel the blush of her cheeks. When she changed her mind about asking me I reassured her that she could ask me anything. After all, had I denied her one request?

She was being quite stubborn about asking the question. I prodded her, convincing her I would assume it was something much more awful than I was certain it was. Again, this would be one of those times that reading her mind would make this all easier for us both.

"Well," she started. "You said that Rosalie and Emmett will get married soon…Is that…marriage…the same as it is for humans?" She struggled to finish the question, but she managed. I had to chuckle because now I knew what she was getting at, what had embarrassed her. "Is _that_ what you are getting at?"

I could feel her squirm with anxiety. I know she wanted to know the answer, but she also seemed to wish she had not actually asked.

"Yes, I suppose it is much the same," I said. "I told you, most of the human desires are there, just hidden behind more powerful desires."

"Oh." She said.

"Was there a purpose behind your curiosity?" I asked, wondering.

"Well, I did wonder…about you and me…someday…"

Why couldn't she move more slowly? It was just today that she had seen me in my truest form. She should take the time to contemplate that rather than pushing for something I could never give her, no matter how desperately I might want to. It would be too dangerous. I told her simply that I did not think that would be possible for us.

"Because it would be too hard for you, if I were that…close?"

"That's certainly a problem. But that's not what I was thinking of. It's just that you are so soft, so fragile. I have to mind my actions every moment that we are together so that I don't hurt you. I could kill you quite easily, Bella, simply by accident." I moved the palm of my hand to her cheek. I didn't want her to think that I did not desire her in that way. I was only concerned with her safety. "If I was too hasty…if for one second I wasn't paying enough attention, I could reach out, meaning to touch your face, and crush your skull by mistake. You don't realize how incredibly _breakable_ you are. I can never, never afford to lose any kind of control when I'm with you."

I waited for her to respond, to let me know she understood my rationalization. "Are you scared?" I asked.

"No. I'm fine." She said softly.

Now it was my turn to ask a question. I had to wonder where her curiosity on the subject had come from. "I'm curious now, though," I said softly. I didn't want to offend her. "Have _you_ ever….?"

Again, I could feel her blush. "Of course not." She said matter-of-factly. "I told you I've never felt like this about anyone before, not even close."

I told her that I was so used to reading other people's thoughts and that I knew that love and lust did not always co-exist. She assured me that they did with her, now that they existed at all.

"That's nice," I said, relieved that neither of us had experienced that level of intimacy with anyone. "We have that one thing in common, at least."

"Your human instincts…" she started. "Well, do you find me attractive, in that way, at all?"

How could she not know that? I ruffled her hair, which was almost dry, with my hand and answered her. "I may not be human, but I am a man."

She yawned and I told her I had answered her questions and encouraged her to go to sleep. When she told me she wasn't sure if she could I offered to leave. She was quite insistent that I stay. Then I began to hum her lullaby softly in her ear. She quickly drifted off into a restful sleep, wrapped in my cold arms and a thin quilt.

After a few hours of lying next to her, I was certain she had fallen into a deep, restful sleep. It had been an exhausting day after all.

She only said a couple of things and it was with a smile on her face. The words brought satisfaction to me and I knew I had time to run home to shower and change clothes. I would return before she ever missed me.

Of course my family was anxious to see me, although Alice would have already told them the day went well.

"Hi Edward," Alice said cheerfully before I had even crossed the threshold of the front door.

_Hello Alice_. _Don't look so surprised_. How refreshing to be able to speak with my thoughts again.

_I saw that you didn't hurt her. But I want details. _Alice had at least not embarrassed me in front of the family.

"I am a gentleman, Alice. I do not kiss and tell," I whispered in her ear as I walked past her to go up the stairs to my bedroom.

_You kissed her? _She thought excitedly. There was no hiding her excitement from the family as her bright eyes light up.

I ignored Alice and passed the rest of the family as I went about my business.

"Edward is bringing Bella here later." I could hear Alice tell the family as soon as I reached my bedroom.

"Wonderful." Esme said, clapping her hands together. I am sure she was already beginning to plan how they all should present themselves to Bella.

"I refuse to be here." I heard Rosalie protest.

"Rosalie, we will all be here," Carlisle said calmly. "Edward is your brother. We support each other in this family."

I was done quickly and back down the stairs before Rosalie could complain much further.

"We'll see you later Edward," Esme said gleefully as I headed out the door, back to Bella's room.

* * *

A/N: PLEASE REVIEW AND LEAVE ME SOME LOVE! I'll SEND EDWARD THROUGH YOUR WINDOW IF YOU DO!


	6. Chapter 15 THE CULLENS

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan-fiction based on Stephenie Meyers' Twilight Series. (No copyright infringement intended)

* * *

I spent the rest of the night sitting in the rocking chair in Bella's room, watching her get the first peaceful night's rest I had seen in some time. I would have preferred to lie beside her in the bed but that would have been too cold for her. I was just content to be in the same room with her, watching and listening to her, breathing in her scent.

By the time Bella woke up Charlie had been gone for an hour. He left for work after reconnecting the battery cables on her truck. She was right. He truly believed she was going to sneak out last night. He obviously had not spent enough time with _his_ teenage daughter. She wasn't like the other teens. She was very mature. I suppose that came from playing the parental role to her mother for so many years. While she could be very stubborn she was also very responsible.

She sat up suddenly and experienced a head rush. "Oh!" she exclaimed, grabbing her forehead.

"Your hair looks like a haystack…but I like it." I smiled. She then noticed me in the rocking chair.

"Edward! You stayed!" she said cheerfully, leaping off the bed and into my lap.

I smiled widely. I was so happy that she seemed as excited to see me as I was to see her. "Of course," I said. Hadn't she realized by now that I was a man of my word?

She laid her head against my shoulder and took several deep breaths. She seemed to delight in my scent as much as I did in hers. "I was sure it was a dream," she said.

I laughed at her. "You're not that creative."

She jumped up, concerned about Charlie. I told her he had already left and let her in on his method of sabotage. I then held my arms open for her to return to me, I wanted to hold her close again. I wanted every night to end and every morning to begin with Bella in my arms.

She held a finger up and lowered her head. "I need another human minute."

"I'll wait," I reassured her.

She came back shortly, with her hair brushed, fresh breath and glowing skin. I held my arms open for her again. "Welcome back," I said as she walked over to sit on my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck.

I rocked her for a while as we both sat in silence, enjoying the closeness we were sharing. She soon noticed my clothes had changed and I explained I had left long enough to change and shower so her neighbors didn't see me in the same attire as yesterday. Whatever would they think?

"You were very deeply asleep; I didn't miss anything." I smiled. "The talking came earlier."

She groaned. "What did you hear?" She absolutely despised the fact that when she slept, she had no control of what she divulged.

"You said you loved me," I sighed. Those words were so reassuring and comforting to me, knowing that she felt that way despite the knowledge of what I really was.

She ducked her head, in embarrassment. "You knew that already."

"It was nice to hear, just the same."

She tucked her head under my chin and laid her hand on my chest, where my heart would beat if I were human like her. "I love you," she whispered.

I admitted to her how deeply I felt for her. "You are my life now."

We both continued to rocked silently for a while longer. It was so easy with Bella, to be myself and to be as human as I would ever have a chance to be.

Her stomach growled and I realized that the mortal girl needed to eat again. I gently tossed her over my shoulder and carried her down the stairs into the kitchen. I sat at the little table, watching her movements as she fixed herself a bowl of cereal and sat down across from me to eat.

"What's on the agenda for today?" she asked in between bites. Like me, yesterday didn't last long enough and she longed for more.

"What would you say to meeting my family?" I asked her.

By the gulp she took I don't think that is what she had in mind.

"Are you afraid now?" I asked. If she wasn't scared to be alone with one vampire, perhaps an entire coven would do the trick.

"Yes," she admitted. She didn't have to say a word. Her eyes gave her away.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you," I smirked.

"I'm not afraid of them," she explained. Of course she wasn't. "I'm afraid they won't…like me. Won't they be, well, surprised that you would bring someone…like me…home to meet them? Do they know that I know about them?"

I explained to her that they already knew everything and with Alice in the house there were no keeping secrets. Besides, we told each other everything. Our way of life depended on that level of honesty.

"So did Alice see me coming?" she asked.

"Something like that," I answered. I wasn't going to elaborate further. There was no need to tell her exactly what Alice had seen. Bella would never be one of us if I had any say. I wanted her to remain human and experience all the moments a human girl her age would normally go through.

I turned to look out the back window and asked Bella to do something for me in return. "And you should introduce me to your father, too. I think."

"He already knows you," she replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"As your boyfriend, I mean."

She scrunched her forehead together and asked, suspiciously, "Why?"

"Isn't that customary?" I asked her with all sincerity. In my human observations and from what I remembered of my time as a mortal, that was a part of the courting process.

"I don't know," she hesitated. "That's not necessary, you know. I don't expect you to…I mean, you don't have to pretend for me."

I turned to look at her and smiled with sincerity. "I'm not pretending."

She didn't respond and, instead, played with her cereal, banging the spoon against the sides of the bowl.

"Are you going to tell Charlie I'm your boyfriend or not?" I demanded.

"Is that what you are?" she asked.

"It's a loose interpretation of the word 'boy', I'll admit." I smirked.

"I was under the impression that you were something more, actually," She said coyly, looking at the table.

"Well, I don't know if we need to give him all the gory details." I reached across the table and gently lifted her chin with one finger until her eyes met mine. "But he will need some explanation for why I'm around here so much. I don't want Chief Swan getting a restraining order put on me."

I could feel her heart rate accelerate just from my touching her. "Will you be?" she asked. "Will you really be here?"

Hadn't we gone through all of that? Hadn't she realized yet that this was not a hallucination?

"As long as you want me," I said softly.

"I'll always want you," she said, "Forever."

I looked into her eyes for a long time. Did she understand that the word 'forever' held different connotations for her and me? I would be with her for her 'forever' but not for my eternity. I would make sure she lived a normal human lifespan.

I changed the topic and told her to go get dressed so we could head to my house. She finished off her cereal and took the bowl to the sink, where she rinsed it out and left it. She then walked passed me, gently brushing her fingertips along my side before she headed upstairs to dress.

I stood at the foot of the stairs, waiting on her when she returned in a khaki colored skirt and the lovely blue blouse she had worn the night we had dinner in Port Angeles.

"Okay," she said, bouncing down the stairs, right into my arms. "I'm decent." I steadied her for a moment before pulling her closer.

"Wrong again," I whispered in her ear. "You are utterly indecent – no one should look so tempting, it's not fair."

"Tempting, how?" she asked, glancing down at her skirt. "I can change…"

I sighed and shook my head. After everything I told her about how she made me feel, how could she be so self-conscious? "You are _so_ absurd." I pulled her closer with my hand on the small of her back and reached down to gently kiss her forehead.

"Shall I explain how you are tempting me?" I asked softly, running my fingers up and down her spine. I then bent my head and very carefully parted her lips with mine. Then it happened. She fainted in my arms.

"Bella?" I asked frantically, holding her so she would not fall to the floor.

She shook her head and responded. "You…made…me…faint."

I sure wish I could figure Bella out so I knew what was appropriate and when. "What am I going to do with you?" I asked in exasperation. "Yesterday I kiss you, and you attack me! Today you pass out on me."

She managed a slight laugh and continued to let me steady her.

"So much for being good at everything," I sighed.

"That's the problem. You're _too_ good. Far, far too good."

I made sure she felt okay before we left to meet my family and she continued to worry that they wouldn't like her, not that she would be in a house full of vampires. Only Bella Swan would fearlessly take on a family of dangerous predators.

I drove her truck to my house. I figured, after yesterday, she wouldn't be too keen on running there. Besides, Bella had never been to my house and I wanted her to enjoy the scenic drive through the woods.

She seemed to be growing impatient until I finally turned off onto the un-paved road that led to my house. The ferns and ancient trees lined the road through the woods and the turn was easy to miss. Most people would have no idea a house even existed so far back from the main road. We counted on that. This was the one place we all could be ourselves and live without fear of being exposed.

Bella searched the forest with her eyes, marveling at the enormous ferns and moss covered trees, rolling her window down to listen to the trickle of the stream that meandered around the property. Her eyes grew large as our three-story white house appeared from behind massive cedar trees.

"Esme restored it," I said as I pulled the truck into our driveway. Restoring old properties was one of Esme's great passions and this home was nearly 100 years old when Carlisle bought it for her. This home reminded me of the dwellings of my youth. I was sure it did Esme as well.

"Wow," Bella gawked.

"You like it?" I smiled.

"It…has a certain charm."

I tugged on the end of her ponytail playfully and laughed. I then got out of the truck and moved to her side, to open the door for her.

"Ready?" I asked, taking her hand as she used the step rail to exit the truck.

"Not even a little bit – let's go," she said nervously, running her fingers along her ponytail.

"You look lovely," I reassured her, kissing her forehead and taking her hand in mine as I lead her up to front door.

If I were a mortal man the grip Bella had on my hand would likely have broken a few bones. I tried to reassure and relax her by making circles on the back of her hand with my thumb.

I opened the door for her and she stepped in, still holding tightly onto my hand, staring up at the high-beamed ceiling and towards the back wall of the house which was made entirely of glass. She then looked to our left and noticed Carlisle and Esme waiting by the grand piano to meet her. They stood patiently, waiting for Bella and me to come to them. I knew it was an effort to make Bella feel more comfortable.

"Carlisle, Esme," I said, moving my hand to the middle of Bella's back, guiding her in their direction, remaining closely by her side. "This is Bella."

Carlise carefully took a step forward with his hand extended to Bella. "You're very welcome, Bella." She smiled nervously. I could feel her body trembling beneath my fingers.

"It's nice to see you again, Dr. Cullen." She said softly.

"Please, call me Carlisle." He smiled, trying to make her feel as comfortable as possible.

"Carlisle," she obliged him. The trembling subsided and I breathed a sigh of relief. So far, so good.

Esme then stepped forward and took Bella's hand in between both of hers, smiling at her with the warm, motherly smile that made everyone so comfortable around her. "It's very nice to know you," she said. You could hear the sincerity in Esme's voice and I knew that, as she smiled at me, she was full of hope and love for me, and for Bella.

"Thank you. I'm glad to meet you, too," Bella said.

Just as I asked where Alice and Jasper were, they appeared at the top of the massive, curving staircase. Esme had done a particularly wonderful job on restoring all the original wood and its intricate carvings of vines and flowers.

"Hi, Bella!" Alice exclaimed, bouncing down the stairs towards her. She kissed Bella's cheek as soon as she reached her, taking her by surprise. I held on tightly to Bella, to protect her if anything went wrong and to keep her from falling over as well.

"You do smell nice, I never noticed before," Alice said, thoroughly embarrassing me.

As Alice stepped back to give Bella some breathing room, Jasper appeared at her side, keeping his distance from Bella. I could immediately feel all the anxiety and fear in the room subside. He was definitely working his magic.

"Hello, Bella," he said.

"Hello, Jasper," she responded with a smile. "It's nice to meet you all – you have a very beautiful home."

"Thank you," Esme responded. "We're so glad that you came."

_She is so brave Edward and I am so grateful you have found her. _Esme's thoughts revealed her pleasure in my happiness.

Carlisle looked in my direction. He had something he needed to _tell_ me. _Alice sees visitors in our future. Beyond that she knows nothing._

I nodded that I had gotten his message and Bella turned to look at the piano, as if she had been caught eavesdropping.

When she looked towards the piano she smiled, as though she were recalling a favorite memory.

Esme noticed Bella's preoccupation and moved her hand in the direction of the piano, asking her, "Do you play?"

She shook her head. "Not at all. But it's so beautiful. Is it yours?"

Esme laughed at Bella's assumption. "No." She then looked at me. "Edward didn't tell you he was musical?"

I looked innocently at Bella. That hadn't come up before. "No," she said. "I should have known, I guess."

Esme looked at us with confused and Bella elaborated. "Edward can do everything, right?"

Jasper laughed, I would have really heard it if Emmett were here, and Esme gave me a look. "I hope you haven't been showing off – it's rude." She scolded me.

"Just a bit," I laughed. Bella then came to my rescue.

"He's been too modest, actually," she said.

Esme put her hand on my back, nudging me forward. "Well, play for her."

I objected and tried to hold my ground, without being rude to my mother. "You just said showing off was rude."

"There are exceptions to every rule," she smiled.

Bella chimed in, "I'd like to hear you play."

"It's settled then." Esme pushed me again. This time I did not resist. Instead I took Bella's hand and led her to the black grand piano where she sat on the bench next to me.

I looked at Bella with exasperation. Until just the other day I hadn't played in so long and I didn't want to embarrass myself.

As soon as I played the first few notes of Esme's song my confidence returned and I played the piano as if no one were watching. Of course, I could still see Bella out of the corner of my eye and her mouth was hanging open. I winked at her, knowing she was pleased.

"You wrote this?" she gasped with realization.

I nodded my head and continued to play. "It's Esme's favorite."

Bella closed her eyes and shook her head.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I'm feeling extremely insignificant," she said.

I then bridged into her lullaby, hoping she would recognize the tune I hummed to her last night. She was quite the opposite of insignificant. She was the _most_ significant thing in my life.

She lowered her head as if to listen more closely and raised her eyes to mine. I saw the recognition in her eyes and it filled me with delight.

"You inspired this one," I said softly.

Bella was actually speechless, just taking in the music as her lullaby filled the room.

"They like you, you know," I said. "Esme, especially."

She turned to look over her shoulder and realized it was just the two of us left in the room. The others had left, to offer us some privacy.

She turned back to me and sighed, "_They_ like me. But Rosalie and Emmett…"

How I wish Rosalie wasn't so rude, though I understood where she was coming from.

"Don't worry about Rosalie," I reassured her. "She will come around."

She then pursed her lips, skeptically. "Emmett?"

"Well, he thinks _I'm_ a lunatic, it's true, but he doesn't have a problem with you. He's trying to reason with Rosalie."

"What is it that upsets her?" Bella asked, as though it was something she could fix or change. I could sense she was hesitant to ask the question.

I continue playing for her, glancing at her throughout the recital. "Rosalie struggles the most with…with what we are. It's hard for her to have someone on the outside know the truth. And she's a little jealous."

Bella was shocked. "_Rosalie_ is jealous of _me_?"

"You're human." I shrugged. "She wishes that she were, too."

"Oh," she muttered, still reeling from the fact that Rosalie was envious of her. "Even Jasper, though…"

"That's really my fault," I explained. "I told you he was the most recent to try our way of life. I warned him to keep his distance."

She shuddered as she considered the reasons for that and then she questioned me about my parents. "Esme and Carlisle…?"

I turned my head and smiled down at her. "They are happy to see me happy. Actually, Esme wouldn't care if you had a third eye and webbed feet. All this time she's been worried about me, afraid that there was something missing from my essential makeup, that I was too young when Carlisle changed me…She's ecstatic. Every time I touch you, she just about chokes with satisfaction."

"Alice seems very…enthusiastic," she laughed.

She had no idea. Alice was normally very happy-go-lucky and cheerful but her obsession with Bella took it to a whole new level. Alice was excited at the prospect of their one day becoming sisters. I was not about to share that with Bella. Again, that was not something I planned on ever occurring.

"Alice has her own way of looking at things." I left it at that.

"And you're not going to explain that, are you?" When she asked I could tell she understood that I would not. We just looked at each other, both of us understanding that was the end of that subject.

"So what was Carlisle telling you before?" she asked.

She _had_ noticed our mental conversation with each other, though I knew she had no idea what it was about.

"He wanted to tell me some news – he didn't know if it was something I would share with you," I explained.

"Will you?" she asked.

"I have to, because I'm going to be a little…over-bearingly protective over the next few days – or weeks – and I wouldn't want you to think I'm naturally a tyrant," I answered.

I explained to her that Alice had seen visitors coming, but didn't know when – although it would certainly not be too far off with the way Alice's visions worked.

I told her that other vampires knew we were here and they were naturally curious because of the way we lived our lives, amongst humans. I then explained that I would not be letting her out of my sight until the visitors had come and gone.

She shivered. "Finally, a rational response," I murmured. "I was beginning to think you had no sense of self-preservation."

Bella let the conversation go at that and proceeded to look around the rest of the spacious room, taking everything in.

"Not what you expected is it?" I asked.

"No," she said softly.

"No coffins, no piled skulls in the corners; I don't even think we have cobwebs…what a disappointment this must be for you," I said slyly.

She spoke with utter amazement. "It's so light…so open."

When I dispelled all the other myths about vampires to Bella, I must have missed a few. She knew that we could go out into the sunlight, just not in public. She must have assumed the house would be dark. But out here in the woods, we had nothing to fear.

I played the final keys of her lullaby, letting it drift off into its ending. I looked at her and she had tears in her eyes. "Thank you," she said, gently wiping her tears.

She missed a tear and I dabbed it from the corner of her eye with my finger. Before I had a chance to consider my actions, I touched my finger to my tongue and tasted the moisture. It tasted like salt. In everything I read I knew that this is how it should taste but Bella's tears also seemed sweet, at least to me. My action was so fluid and quick that I don't think she noticed.

"Do you want to see the rest of the house?" I asked.

She stood up with me and responded with sarcasm. "No coffins?"

"No coffins." I chuckled, taking her hand in mine and leading her over to and up the staircase. She ran her free hand along the wood admiring its beauty.

"Rosalie and Emmett's room…Carlisle's office…Alice's room…"I motioned towards each room with my hand as if I were giving a museum tour. I would have continued but she stopped dead in her tracks at the end of the hall, staring in bewilderment at the object that hung over her head.

"You can laugh," I said. "It _is_ sort of ironic."

She raised her hand to the large wooden cross but didn't touch it. I could sense she wanted to and had a curiosity about it. Another myth exposed. Crosses didn't make us cower in our place.

"It must be very old," she said, staring thoughtfully at the dark wooden cross.

"Early sixteen-thirties, more or less." I answered matter-of-factly.

"Why do you keep this here?" she asked.

"Nostalgia. It belonged to Carlisle's father," I replied.

"He collected antiques?" she asked. It seemed the best explanation she could muster.

"No. He carved this himself. It hung on the wall above the pulpit in the vicarage where he preached."

She looked back at the cross but I could tell she was shocked. So many myths to de-bunk, so little time. When she considered our individual heritages she had probably never imagined a religious family. Just because we were destined to go to hell didn't mean it was a path we had always been on.

"Are you alright?" I asked her.

"How old is Carlisle?" she asked quietly, still staring at the cross.

"He just celebrated his three hundred and sixty-second birthday," I said. She turned her eyes from the cross to me. I could almost see all the questions dancing through her mind. I was sure this was all quite overwhelming for her. I had over 90 years to adjust to all of these things. She had only had a couple of days.

I went on to tell her Carlisle's story, just as though I were teaching a genealogy class. I told her how Carlisle had been born in London sometime in the 1640's, before Cromwell's rule. He was the only son of an Anglican pastor whose wife died during childbirth. Carlisle's father was enthusiastic in the persecution of Roman Catholics and other religions when the Protestants began to rise to power. I told her how Carlisle's father believed very strongly in the reality of evil and led hunts for vampires, witches and werewolves.

Bella was totally silent as I continued to tell his story but she seemed to hang on my every word. I told her that as Carlisle's father grew older he passed the responsibility for these raids onto his obedient son. Carlisle wasn't quick to accuse, which his father was, leading to the burning of many innocents. However, Carlisle was cleverer than his father and had found a true coven of vampires that lived in the sewers of the city. As Carlisle and his followers waited with pitchforks and torches, one vampire finally emerged.

I told her the details of Carlisle's encounter, "He must have been ancient, and weak with hunger. Carlisle heard him call out in Latin to the others when he caught the scent of the mob. He ran through the streets, and Carlisle – he was twenty-three and very fast – was in the lead of the pursuit. The creature could have easily outrun them, but Carlisle thinks he was too hungry, so he turned and attacked. He fell on Carlisle first, but the others were close behind, and he turned to defend himself. He killed two men, and made off with a third, leaving Carlisle bleeding in the street." I then paused, letting her take in the monstrous act that had infected my father; I considered how much more I should tell Bella. There were still things about the change that I did not want her to know.

"Carlisle knew what his father would do. The bodies would be burned – anything infected by the monster must be destroyed. Carlisle acted instinctively to save his own life. He crawled away from the alley while the mob followed the fiend and his victim. He hid in the cellar, buried himself in rotting potatoes for three days. It's a miracle he was able to keep silent, to stay undiscovered.

"It was over then, and he realized what he had become."

I wasn't sure how to take her silence. I felt like I was overwhelming her with so much information. I didn't just want her to know _my_ truth; I wanted her to know everything, minus some unfortunate details she didn't need to hear.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"I'm fine," she assured me, biting her lip. I could see the curiosity in her eyes. She hungered to learn as much as I yearned to teach.

"I expect you have a few more questions for me," I said.

"A few," she said softly.

I turned to walk back down the hall and led her by her hand. "Come on then. I'll show you."

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A/N: SEE THAT REVIEW BUTTON? CLICK IT WON'T YOU? I LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU THINK...I'LL SEND EDWARD IF YOU DO!


	7. Chapter 16 HISTORY

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan-fiction based on Stephenie Meyers' Twilight Series. (No copyright infringement intended).

* * *

I led Bella back to Carlisle's office and waited outside the door for his response.

"Come in," Carlisle invited.

Bella had been in awe of everything in the house so far and I wasn't surprised when she seemed just as impressed with his office. With the exception of the one west-facing wall that was all glass, every wall was finished in dark paneling. Two of the walls covered with bookshelves, the other with framed pictures. As much as Bella loved the classics I was sure this was a fantasy room to her.

As we stepped into his office, Carlisle placed a bookmark in a medical volume he was looking over and rose from behind the large mahogany desk. "What can I do for you?" he asked.

"I wanted to show Bella some of our history," I replied. "Well, your history, actually."

"We didn't mean to disturb you," Bella apologized.

"Not at all," Carlisle obliged. "Where are you going to start?"

"The Waggoner," I said as I turned Bella around to face the wall surrounding the door we just came through. This was the wall covered in framed pictures of every size - a visual history, if you will.

As I touched Bella's shoulders to turn her around I could feel her heart race. It seemed to do that every time I touched her. I enjoyed the sound of her heart and its soothing rhythm, but I hoped she would become more accustomed to my touch. I certainly didn't want her to die a pre-mature death from a heart attack.

I pulled her gently to the far left side of the wall and stood her in front of a small square oil painting, in a plain wooden frame. While this painting did not stand out from the larger and brighter ones, with its sepia tones it was a very important one to Carlisle.

"London in the sixteen-fifties," I said.

"The London of my youth," Carlisle added, stepping closer to us as she examined the painting, depicting a miniature city full of steeply slanted roofs, with thin spires atop a few scattered towers. There was a wide river filling the foreground, crossed by a bridge covered with structures that looked like tiny cathedrals.

Bella squeezed my hand as Carlisle stood just a foot behind her.

"Will _you_ tell the story?" I asked Carlisle.

"I would," he replied, "but I am running a bit late." He looked at his watch as he explained the hospital had called. Dr. Snow had called in sick and they needed Carlisle to come in for him. "Besides, you know the stories as well as I do."

Carlisle smiled a warm farewell to Bella, brushing her back with his hand as he left the office. Then he was out the door and she and I were alone in the office, where I was to regale her with stories of centuries passed.

"What happened then?" Bella asked. "When he realized what had happened to him?"

I looked at the wall, trying to find the proper image that told the next story. I quickly found the larger landscape, full of dull fall colors – an empty, shadowed meadow in a forest, with a craggy peak in the distance.

I told her how he had tried to destroy himself when he realized what he had become. How he had jumped from great heights and tried to drown himself in the ocean.

"But he was young to the new life, and very strong. It was amazing that he was able to resist…feeding…while he was still so new. The instinct is more powerful then, it takes over everything. But he was so repelled by himself that he had the strength to try to kill himself with starvation."

"Is that possible?" she asked quietly.

I told her how he had grown very hungry and eventually weak; how he stayed away from the human populace, realizing that as he grew physically weak, his willpower was weakening as well. After months of wandering at night, in the loneliest places, loathing himself, an answer appeared before him.

"One night, a herd of deer passed his hiding place. He was so wild with thirst that he attacked without thought. His strength returned and he realized there was an alternative to being the vile monster he feared. Over the next few months his new philosophy was born. He could exist without being a demon. He found himself again."

"Then?' Bella asked, knowing there was much more to the story, given his age.

"He began to make better use of his time. He'd always been intelligent, eager to learn. Now he had unlimited time before him. He studied by night, planned by day. He swam to France and –,"

She cut me off with astonishment. "He _swam_ to France?"

I had to remind myself that she was young and human and hadn't seen everything I had seen. "People swim the Channel all the time, Bella."

She smiled. "That's true, I guess. It just sounded funny in that context. Go on."

"Swimming is easy for us –," I started.

"Everything is easy for _you_," she griped.

I waited for a moment, amused by her. I also wanted to make sure she had all of her remarks out of her system.

"I won't interrupt again, I promise." She said, pinching her lips between her fingers.

I laughed and finished my sentence, "Because, technically, we don't need to breathe."

"You –," she started.

"No, no, you promised," I said, gently pressing my finger to her lips. "Do you want to hear the story or not?"

She mumbled a response against my finger, which I did not remove, in an effort to drive my point home. "You can't spring something like that on me, and then expect me not to say anything."

I relented and moved my hand to rest on her cheek, sending her heart racing, yet again. She was determined to get her question in though.

"You don't have to _breathe_?" she demanded.

I shrugged. I seemed like such a given to me. I had to remember I was teaching Bella. "No, it's not necessary. Just a habit."

She went on to ask how long we could go without breathing and I told her indefinitely if we chose to; how we breathed just to appear more human. Nothing would give us away like not breathing. I then lowered my hand to my side and thought for a moment – when would it overwhelm her? The information I was passing along to her.

"What is it?" she asked, sensing my change in mood.

"I know at some point, something I tell you or something you see is going to be too much. And then you'll run away from me, screaming as you go." I smiled, in an effort to deflect her attention from the seriousness of the subject. "I won't stop you. I want this to happen, because I want you to be safe. And yet, I want to be with you. The two desires are impossible to reconcile…" I stared at her, expecting her to run away or say she had too much. But she didn't.

"I'm not running anywhere," she reassured me, reaching for my hand.

"We'll see," I smiled.

She frowned and got me back on track. "So, go on – Carlisle was swimming to France."

I then turned to look at the biggest of all the pictures on the wall. This one was twice as wide as the door into the room, with the most ornate frame and the brightest colors. It was by far, the most important in all of our history.

I told her how Carlisle continued on throughout Europe after arriving in France. How he studied at the universities there – studying music, science and medicine at night. That was when he discovered his true calling – to save human lives. I stressed to her that it did not come easily to him –it had taken over two centuries to be able to work around blood the way he did now, without it affecting him at all.

I tapped my finger against the large painting, remembering why I had moved on to that one. "He was studying in Italy when he discovered the others there. They were much more civilized and educated than the wraiths of the London sewers."

I pointed to the four figures on the highest balcony in the painting, looking over a crowd of mayhem below them. I wondered how quickly Bella would recognize the golden-haired man. Almost immediately she realized it was Carlisle.

"Solimena was greatly inspired by Carlisle's friends. He often painted them as gods," I laughed. "Aro, Marcus, Caius," I pointed to each of them. "Nighttime patrons of the arts."

Her finger touched mine, pointing to the quartet in the painting. "What happened to them?" she asked.

I told her they were still there, as they had been for thousands of years. I told her that Carlisle was only with them for a relatively short period of time, just a few decades. He admired how civilized and refined they were, but they continued to push Carlisle to feed as they did, on human blood. He tried, in vain, to convince them they could live on the blood of animals. There was an impasse. I explained that that was when Carlisle found his way to the New World, where he dreamed of finding others like him.

"He didn't find anyone for a long time," I said. I then went on to explained that as monsters became the stuff of fairytales, Carlisle realized he could live among humans and began to practice medicine. He still longed for a companion, someone to share his life, as it was, with him.

This was the point at which I came into Carlisle's life. "When the influenza epidemic hit, he was working nights in a hospital in Chicago. He'd been turning over an idea in his mind for several years, and he had almost decided to act – since he couldn't find a companion, he would create one. He wasn't absolutely sure how his own transformation had occurred, so he was hesitant. And he was loath to steal anyone's life the way his had been stolen. It was in that frame of mind that he found me. There was no hope for me; I was left in a ward with the dying. He had nursed my parents, and knew I was alone. He decided to try…" I looked off, out the window, remembering the time of my birth – how painful it was. That was the part I was unwilling to share with Bella.

I then turned and smiled softly at her. "And so we've come full circle."

"Have you always stayed with Carlisle then?" she asked. I could see where she would make that assumption, given he created me and I was with him now. But there was a time I left him.

"Almost always," I answered.

"Almost?" she asked as we walked down the hall.

I told her that about ten years after I was created I rebelled, resenting Carlisle's life of abstinence and having forced that on me. I then decided to go my own way.

I took her hand again and led her up the stairs to the third floor. "That doesn't repulse you?" I asked.

"No." she answered, matter-of-factly.

"Why not?" I wondered.

"I guess…it sounds reasonable."

I laughed loudly at her rationale as we stopped at the top of the stairs.

I explained to her that with my gift allowing me to read everyone's thoughts, It took me ten years to defy Carlisle because I knew his sincerity and the depression he suffered from developing a conscience. I told her my ability also allowed me to read the thoughts of my prey, discerning the innocent from the evil. I had convinced myself that if I took the life of a murderer and therefore, spared the life of his intended victim, surely I wasn't so terrible.

Bella shivered as I told her that part. Perhaps she remembered that night in Port Angeles and realized how truly close I had come to taking the lives of her would-be attackers.

"But as time went on, I began to see the monster in my eyes. I couldn't escape the debt of so much human life taken, no matter how justified. And I went back to Carlisle and Esme. They welcomed me back like the prodigal. It was more than I deserved."

Just as I finished the story we were at the end of the hallway, outside of my room, my sanctuary. "My room," I told her, stepping in and pulling her through the door.

My room was above the great room below and like all the rooms on the back side of the house, the wall was glass. It overlooked the Sol Duc River and you could see the untouched forest that led to the Olympic Mountain range. The view of the mountains was spectacular and reminded even me, how small and insignificant we all were.

The heavy gold fabric I had hanging on the walls was a shade off of my thick gold carpet. The fabric and carpet were more for acoustics than looks.

"Good acoustics?" she asked, always so observant, I chuckled and nodded.

I stood silently, watching Bella as she moved around my room, taking in the breathtaking view out the window then turning to the opposite wall where the shelves were filled with CD after CD, along with my sound system.

I wondered if she noticed the fact that I did not have a bed in my room. Since we could not sleep, it hardly seemed practical. Instead I had a wide leather sofa I would recline on and listen to my music or read my books.

I reached for the remote and turned the stereo on. The music that was playing was a jazz CD. My interest in music was wide-ranging. Fortunately, I had been lucky enough to see many of the musicians perform in person – from the jazz bands of the 20's and thirties to the hair-bands of the eighties, to the current music.

Her eyes were scanning the collection, top to bottom, right to left and she looked puzzled. "How do you have these organized?" she asked.

"Ummm, by year, then by personal preference within that frame," I answered. My mind was elsewhere. It was focused on Bella and how she had taken in everything today.

She must have noticed the expression on my face. "What?" she asked.

"I was prepared to feel…relieved. Having you know about everything, not needing to keep secrets from you. But I didn't expect to feel more than that. I _like_ it. It makes me…happy." I shrugged my shoulders and smiled slightly. I didn't know how else to explain it, or why. I only knew what I was experiencing.

"I'm glad," she smiled smugly. I examined her expression; sure she was hiding her truer, deeper feelings beneath this façade of happiness.

"You're still waiting for the running and the screaming, aren't you?" she asked, almost laughing.

I nodded. Of course I was still expecting that. I don't know if I would ever get used to the idea that she was not frightened by me, or my way of life.

"I hate to burst your bubble, but you're really not as scary as you think you are. I don't find you scary at all, actually," she said. I wasn't sure if she was telling the truth or bluffing.

I cracked a smile and showed a glimpse of my teeth. "You _really_ shouldn't have said that," I replied with a smirk. I crouched into a pouncing position.

"You wouldn't," she challenged.

Just like that, I leapt at her, tackling her as gently as possible, onto the couch, knocking it into the wall. I was sure to wrap my arms around her, to prevent any injury to her. She gasped as she landed, trying to sit up, but I held onto her, pulling her into a ball against my chest. I smiled, relaxed - hopefully reassuring her I meant her no harm.

"You were saying?" I challenged her right back.

She struggled against my grasp on her. Bella Swan did not like someone else being in control. "Um. Can I get up now?

Just then I heard Alice call from the hall. "Can we come in?" she asked softly.

I readjusted my position on the couch, sitting Bella more comfortably on my lap. Behind Alice was Jasper.

"Go ahead," I laughed. Everything about Bella made me smile, made me laugh, made me rejoice. If I had known her when I was first created and lost her, I would not have been able to exist, realizing what I had lost. Fortunately for me, until now I hadn't realized what I had missed out on over the past 100 years.

Alice danced her way into the room – that was the way Alice moved. She sat down in the center of the room, looking towards Jasper, who remained in the doorway.

"It sounded like you were having Bella for lunch, and we came to see if you would share," she chirped.

Bella's posture stiffened but I laughed and she relaxed. "Sorry, I don't believe I have enough to spare," I said, pulling her closer and wrapping my arms more tightly around her.

"Actually," Jasper said, forcing a smile and moving into the room. "Alice says there's going to be a real storm tonight, and Emmett wants to play ball. Are you game?"

Bella seemed confused at the prospect of a ballgame in a thunderstorm.

I was excited at the idea of a game of baseball with my family. We were all so competitive. My eyes lit up and Alice read my mind.

_Only if Bella can come_.

"Of course you should bring Bella," Alice said cheerfully. Jasper shot a quick glance at Alice, questioning her. Hopefully Bella didn't notice.

I could not contain my excitement and the possibility of sharing yet another aspect of my life with her. "Do you want to go?" I asked.

She couldn't resist my invitation. "Sure. Um, where are we going?"

I told her we had to wait for thunder to play baseball and promised her I would show her what I meant. She asked if she would need an umbrella and I looked to Alice for the answer. She concentrated for a moment and assured us the storm would hit over the town, not near the clearing where we played ball.

Jasper was excited as well, and his mood spread throughout the room. They then went to call Carlisle, hoping he would join us as well.

"What will we be playing?" Bella asked as Jasper and Alice left the room.

"_You_ will be watching," I clarified for her. "We will be playing baseball."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Vampires like baseball?"

I answered her with a smile. "It _is_ the American pastime"

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A/N: _Reviews are Love...show me some love, Please!_


	8. Chapter 17 THE GAME

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fan-fiction based on Stephenie Meyers' Twilight Series. (No copyright infringement intended). **

* * *

Alice made a good call on the weather. Just as I turned onto Bella's street it began to drizzle. I had planned on staying with her while she changed into some baseball-friendly clothes, giving my family time to get Carlisle for the game.

Charlie still wasn't home but the black car parked in the driveway changed my plans. It was young Jacob Black and his father Billy. Billy and I glared at each other, each knowing the other knew why they were at the house. Jacob looked down in embarrassment. Clearly, he had no idea what was going on.

"This is crossing the line," I said as I pulled her truck up to the curb.

Bella's mouth hung open, realizing what I meant. "He came to warn Charlie?"

I nodded to her, but kept my eyes on Billy. I wanted him to be aware of my disgust with his planned intervention into my relationship with Bella.

"Let me deal with this," Bella asked gently. She must have seen the anger seething in me and wanted to protect her father's friends.

"That's probably the best," I agreed. "Be careful though. The child has no idea."

Bella chastised me for referring to Jacob as a child, reminding me that he was not much younger than her – as if I needed to be reminded of that fact.

I told her to get them inside so I could leave. While Billy knew what I was, Jacob didn't, and surely the sight of me running would come as a surprise to him.

"I'll be back at dusk," I told Bella.

She offered me her truck and I laughed, telling her I could walk home faster than her truck would take me. Besides, how would she explain its absence when Charlie returned? She still had to introduce us.

"You don't have to leave," she whispered, gently taking my hand in hers, looking deep into my eyes and not at the Blacks, who were waiting, rather impatiently, for her.

"Actually, I do. After you get rid of them," I said, shooting a dark glance in the Black's direction, then returning to look at Bella and smiling while I brushed her cheek with the back of my other hand. "You still have to prepare Charlie to meet your new boyfriend." I smiled widely, showing all of my teeth.

"Thanks a lot," she groaned, leaning into my shoulder.

I smiled again and promised her, "I'll be back soon." I then shot another glance in the direction of the Blacks, who were waiting on the porch for Bella. I quickly moved to kiss her under the edge of her jaw. Her heart raced from the surprise move and I noticed the elder Black was mortified, tightly gripping the arms of his wheelchair.

"_Soon_," I stressed, opening the door and stepping out into the drizzle. I watched Bella as she darted through the misty rain to the porch.

"Hey, Billy. Hi, Jacob." She said cheerfully. "Charlie's gone for the day – I hope you haven't been waiting long."

Billy suggested the real reason he had come was to bring by some fish fry that was in a brown bag sitting in his lap. I knew better and most importantly, Bella knew better.

She unlocked the door and hurried them inside, turning to look at me once more before I left. I looked solemnly back at her then took off into the woods the moment the door shut behind her.

_What happened?_ Alice asked me silently when I walked through the front door.

_I want to wait on Carlisle to return too so we can discuss it as a family_. I replied to her through my thoughts so no one else knew anything was amiss until Carlisle returned and we sat down for a family meeting.

In the interim, we all changed into our baseball uniforms. We Cullens took our participation in sports very seriously. We had oiled, leather gloves that had worn soft over the decades, the most expensive and durable aluminum bats and blue and white uniforms, reminiscent of the Yankees uniforms of the past. Instead of NY on our caps, we had a C for Cullen.

"Remember, play fair today – no cheating," Esme chided us, waving her finger in the air. With all of our individual gifts, it was easy to cheat without even thinking of it. Alice and I had the advantage, of course, knowing where each of them planned to hit the ball – and no one ever missed. "I want Bella to see you all on your best behavior."

We were all sitting in the living room watching a ball game on TV while we waited on Carlisle to return.

Emmett and Rosalie were snuggling up to each other on the couch. I knew the show of love and devotion would disappear the moment they stepped foot onto the baseball field. They were the two most competitive out of all of us. Alice and I usually played together and to balance out our mental advantage, Rosalie and Emmett usually teamed up.

Jasper sat on the edge of the over-sized footrest in front of the chair I was sitting in. Alice was sitting in front of Jasper, obsessively trying to see what had happened in my mind. I took great pains in not thinking about the episode at Bella's house so Alice wouldn't know what was going on and read too much into it.

Carlisle came home a couple of innings later and immediately changed into his uniform. When he came back down the stairs I was standing there, waiting on him. At that point, the rest of the family knew something was up.

"Can we have a quick family meeting?" I asked.

"Certainly," Carlisle said, motioning us all to the dining room. There was a large rosewood table with eight chairs around it. We didn't eat, so it was mostly just a showpiece. However, this was where we always met for family meetings. Carlisle took his seat at the head of the table, Esme opposite him. I sat to Carlisle's left with Jasper next to me. Alice sat opposite me with Emmett and Rosalie.

"What is on your mind, Edward?" Carlisle asked, biting on his upper lip as he did when he was nervous. Alice was so anxious to hear what had happened that I thought she was going to leap out of her chair.

Rosalie, of course, had her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. _This is about her. Isn't it? _She thought. I didn't respond to her with words, or thoughts. I just returned the same dirty look to her she was shooting at me.

"When I took Bella home this afternoon, Billy Black and his son Jacob were there, waiting on her." I wondered if anyone would recognize the last name.

"Black?" Carlisle asked. "From the Quileute Reservation?"

"Yes," I nodded. I knew Carlisle then knew what I was talking about.

When we made the treaty with the Quileute's over seventy years ago, the elder of the tribe was Ephraim Black. He was, most likely, Billy's grandfather.

"Did they recognize you?" Emmett asked, suddenly leaning excitedly onto the table. _I am so ready for a fight._

_No fights Emmett_. He seemed disappointed with my response.

"What are your concerns, Edward?" Esme asked.

Jasper and Alice hadn't been a part of our family when the treaty was made, but they both knew of its existence and were keenly aware of the implications of the Blacks presence in Bella's life now that I was a part of it.

"He was there to warn Chief Swan…" I said, clutching my hands into a fist on the table. "About us."

"That's a clear violation of the treaty," Emmett said, jumping up, pounding his fist on the table, shaking it but fortunately, not breaking it. "Let's go!"

Carlisle raised his arm towards Emmett and motioned for him to sit back down. "Let Edward finish," Carlisle said.

"Bella's father wasn't home yet and Bella told me she would handle it." I paused for a moment and looked into the eyes of each of my family members. They all were listening to what I had to say before making any rash decisions, but Rosalie was full of fury.

"You must feel confident she will," Esme said. "Or you wouldn't have left her there alone."

"I do," I said. "The last thing Bella wants or needs, is for her father to know she has been hanging out with vampires." I was smiling, trying to lighten the mood a bit. Jasper must have picked up on this because suddenly, Rosalie's eyes softened and Emmett relaxed back in his seat.

"Even if they tell Bella and not Charlie, isn't that still violating the treaty?" Alice asked.

Carlisle looked at her, then the rest of us. "Bella has known of our existence since young Jacob Black told her. If we wanted to enforce the terms of the treaty, we would have acted then. For now, we will let Edward keep us informed and we will not act until we absolutely must."

"Thank you, Edward…" Esme said, "for letting us all know."

We sat there in silence for several minutes, each of us contemplating how all of our lives had changed since Bella had become a part of it. I did not relish the thought of endangering my family for my own selfishness, but it seemed to me that Bella was brought to Forks - brought to me, and her business and my business were the entire family's business.

"Well, Edward. You go get Bella and we will meet you at the clearing," Carlisle said, standing up.

I pulled up in front of Bella's house in Emmett's Jeep. Charlie would certainly be suspicious if I showed up without a vehicle, especially since it was pouring rain. When I arrived, the Black's car was gone and I hoped Bella didn't have too much trouble dealing with them.

I rang the doorbell and waited for Charlie to answer. I was actually nervous. I had seen Chief Swan around town, at the hospital and the day of Bella's near-fatal accident, but we had never been formally introduced and I wanted to make a good impression. I wondered if the dazzling effect would work on him as well. Just the prospect of it made me chuckle to myself.

Charlie opened the door and Bella was standing right behind him. I could see on her face that she was nervous as well – certainly more so than I. It wasn't every day you introduced your vampire boyfriend to your father.

"Come in, Edward," Charlie said, opening the door wide for me to come in from the rain.

"Thanks, Chief Swan," I said respectfully, wiping my feet on the rug inside the door.

"Go ahead and call me Charlie. Here, I'll take your jacket." He said as I removed my raincoat.

"Thanks, sir," I said, handing it to him.

"Have a seat there," Charlie said, motioning towards the only chair in the room. He then sat down on the couch where Bella found her spot beside him. Bella grimaced. This whole interaction seemed to be...painful for her.

And so the Spanish Inquisition began.

"So I hear you're getting my girl to watch baseball?" Charlie asked, curiously. He didn't find it odd that my family was going to play when it was pouring rain outside. "Yes sir, that's the plan." I said.

"Well, more power to you, I guess," he said with a hint of sarcasm, laughing. I laughed as well, knowing it truly was amusing to think of her being interested in anything athletic. I knew enough about Charlie to know that getting Bella involved in baseball pleased him greatly. Next to fishing, baseball was his favorite pastime – at least watching it was, and perhaps it would bring him and Bella closer together.

"Okay," Bella said as she stood up. "Enough humor at my expense. Let's go." She quickly moved to the hallway to put on her coat and Charlie and I both followed obediently.

"Not too late, Bell," Charlie said as he opened the door for us.

"Don't worry, Charlie, I'll have her home early," I promised.

"You take care of my girl, all right?" he asked. _She's all I have. _I knew this was all new to him as well. He hadn't had Bella living under his roof since she was a little girl and now he had to send her off in the care of another man.

"She'll be safe with me, I promise, sir." I assured him. At least _now_ I had a reason to bring her back. But the truth of the matter was she was safer with me than with anyone else. I could protect her in ways no mortal man could. I was certain he and Bella, could sense the sincerity in my voice.

Bella stomped out the front door, groaning. Charlie and I both laughed. Bella would really have to get used to the idea that she could not control everything, most of all me.

As soon as she stepped out onto the front porch she stopped dead in her tracks. Charlie let out a whistle and I realized it was the enormous, silver Jeep that caught their attention. My Volvo was probably the most inconspicuous of all the vehicles in my family. All of our cars represented our personalities. Emmett's was a work horse.

"Wear your seat belts", Charlie reminded.

I followed Bella around to the passenger side of the Jeep, noticed her turning over in her mind how to get into it so I gently lifted her up with one hand. I hoped Chief Swan hadn't noticed.

I took my time walking around to my side of the Jeep. By the time I got in, Bella still hadn't figured out how to fasten the seatbelt. I laughed at her exasperation.

"What's all this?" she asked, fumbling with it before allowing me to fasten it for her.

"It's an off-roading harness." I explained, reaching towards her.

"Uh-oh." She gulped.

She wouldn't give up control of figuring out the seatbelt and continued to try in vain even as I reached for the buckles. As she finally let go, I snapped the four-point harness together and let my fingers linger on her neck, brushing along her collarbone. I could feel the blood pumping as her heart began to race. Between having to tell Charlie about me and wondering why she was in this enormous vehicle I think she was losing control.

I started the Jeep and we pulled away from the house, with Charlie raising his hand to wave at us from inside the front door.

"This is a…um…_big_ Jeep you have," she said.

"It's Emmett's. I didn't think you'd want to run the whole way." I smiled, reaching over to lay my hand on her lap, hoping she would give me her hand, which she did effortlessly.

"Where do you keep this thing?" she asked.

"We remodeled one of the outbuildings into a garage."

"Aren't you going to put on your seat belt?" she asked, looking at me out of concern.

I just looked at her and shook my head. Her look quickly changed to realization and panic.

"Run the _whole_ way? As in we're still going to run part of the way?"

I grinned. "You're not going to run."

"I'm going to be sick," she said and it certainly looked as though she might lose it right then and there.

"Keep your eyes closed and you'll be fine."

I leaned over to kiss Bella on the top of her head and groaned because she smelled even better than she normally did.

"You smell good in the rain," I explained to her.

"In a good way or a bad way?" she asked.

"Both, always both," I reminded her.

I then changed the subject in an effort to find out more about her visit with the Blacks.

"How did your visit go this afternoon?" I asked, curiously.

"You were right," she said, pursing her lips together. I could tell she was angry. "Billy came to warn us. He thought I was spending too much time with you and your family and wanted me to know that your family did not have a good reputation on the reservation."

"I told him I knew more about you and your family than he did and the way I spent my time was none of his business. I also reminded him that you and your family hadn't actually stepped foot on the reservation. I think he got my point."

"Good for you, Bella." I smiled, squeezing her hand a little tighter, out of approval for standing her ground.

"He told me that he didn't think I was making a good choice and wanted to know if Charlie was as well informed about your family as I was."

"I told him how much Charlie liked your family and how highly he regarded Carlisle in particular."

I listened intently to her story. She seemed quite proud of herself as well and very defensive of me and my family. Bella Swan was proving she was a force to be reckoned with.

"He told me it may not be his business, but he thought it was Charlie's. I then told him, in no uncertain terms, that whether or not it was Charlie's business was mine, not his."

I grinned even wider with pride. "I'm sorry being involved with me puts you in such an awkward position with your father's friend."

"Billy is Charlie's friend and Jacob is my friend," she said, "and you are my boyfriend. No one will dictate to me who I choose."

"Speaking of which, what did Charlie say to you when you told him I was your _boyfriend_?" I wanted to know what he thought but, most importantly, I wanted to make sure Bella actually made that distinction to him.

"I told him I had spent the morning at your house with you and your family and that I had a date with you." She hesitated as she told me about her conversation with her father. She didn't want to tell me about it, but she knew I would get it out of her eventually and I wouldn't let it go until I heard all the details.

"He was very…protective, at first. He thought you were Emmett and didn't like the looks of him. Besides, he thought you were too old for me until I told him you were a junior." She smiled at the recollection of telling the little half-truth to Charlie.

"So you neglected to mention I was over a hundred years old?" I laughed.

She ignored my question though I knew she heard it. She continued with her story. "I told him I thought he liked your family and he said he did. Once he realized you weren't Emmett he calmed down. Before I had a chance to _tell_ him, he _asked_ if you were my boyfriend." She mentioned the last part sheepishly, which made me wonder what her answer was.

"And you said what?" I asked.

"I told him you were, but we were in the early stages. So I begged him not to embarrass me, which you both ended up doing anyway."

I had pressed her for enough information for one evening so we continued what was left of the drive in silence. Actually, she had little choice in the matter. As I turned the Jeep off the road and into the forest, the drive grew significantly rougher. Bella was bouncing up and down in her seat like a pogo-stick. She was grasping onto my hand and the handle above the door. She couldn't have spoken if she wanted to.

I took the Jeep as far as I could and stopped it when the forest surrounded us on three sides. The rain had let up to a mere drizzle at this point. Bella seemed relieved that the bumpy ride was over, but her relief was short-lived.

"Sorry, Bella, we have to go on foot from here."

"You know what? I'll just wait here," she said, making absolutely no effort to release her seat belt.

"What happened to all your courage?" I asked. "You were extraordinary this morning."

"I haven't forgotten the last time yet," she said nervously. Of course she hadn't – it was only yesterday.

Bella wasn't going to win this one either. I quickly got out of the Jeep and made my way around to her side. I opened her door and started unfastening the harness.

"I'll get those, you go on ahead," she said as she fumbled with the seat belt. She was no better un-fastening it than she was hooking it up to begin with. Besides, she wasn't about to trick me into giving into her.

I un-did the seat belt and pulled her from the Jeep. It was barely misting now. Alice had been right. Then again, Alice was almost always right. So often, in fact, I would be remiss to place bets against her.

I shut her door and put my hands against the Jeep, on either side of her head. She backed up into the door and I leaned in even closer, inches from her face, trapping her.

"Now," I breathed my cold breath on her, trying my best to dazzle her and distract her from the trip we were about to take. "What exactly are you worrying about?" I slid my hand from her shoulder, down her arm, finally resting it on her waist.

The closer I got to Bella, I could smell her sweet, floral scent as though I were in the middle of our meadow. All the senses that had become secondary to my ability to read minds were coming back to life thanks to this beautiful girl with the dark chocolate eyes and long, thick, dark hair with hints of red that shined even on the darkest of nights.

She breathed deeply and I sensed her heart rate increasing. "Well, um, hitting a tree --," she blinked quickly and swallowed loudly, "—and dying. And then getting sick." She was working hard to convince me to let her stay but I was working harder at convincing her to go.

I would obviously have to work more diligently at distracting her. I lowered my head to her neck and touched the hollow of it with my lips. "Are you still worried now?" I whispered, seductively, the sound of my voice reverberating off her body.

I suddenly felt overwhelmed by my senses. I could smell her lavender scent as it burned its way down my throat and into my lungs. I could feel her soft, warm skin and see her delicate, fragile human features. When I tasted her skin it brought back memories of when I was a boy in Chicago, going to the market with my mother and biting into the sweetest, juiciest peach. I was on overload.

"Yes," she gulped. "About hitting trees and getting sick."

I then touched her throat with my nose and drew a line with it up to her chin. I breathed lightly on her which sent a shiver throughout her body. Ahh, I _was_ making progress but there was still work to be done. Bella never made anything easy.

"And, now?" I asked, gently kissing her jaw, lingering longer than necessary, moving my other arm to hold her back away from the Jeep and closer to me. I could have stayed there all night, kissing her neck and jaw and cheeks until her skin became frost-bitten from my icy-lips. On the flip-side of that the warmth coming off of her body and emanating from her lips was warming me on the inside. Maybe it wasn't just her warmth, but a fire she was re-igniting within me.

"Trees," she gasped. "Motion sickness."

I raised my head and moved my lips to kiss her eyelids softly, placing my hands on her cheeks. I certainly didn't mind all the extra work I was exerting to make her forget her previous experience. The problem was all this work to distract her was distracting me as well. She smelled so…delicious, dampened by the rain and her rapid blood flow. "Bella, you don't really think I would hit a tree, do you?"

"No, but _I_ might," she said. There was concession in her voice and I could sense victory was in my reach. Her body was less rigid than before and I was certain it was a defeatist posture.

I continued to kiss her, moving slowly from her eyelids, down her cheek, stopping at the corner of her mouth, placing my hands on her hips and gently moving her in towards me.

I brushed my lips against her lower lip, which was now trembling. It was a good thing my family was waiting on us because Bella was tempting me -- not in the way prey tempts the hunter. She was tempting me the way a woman tempted a man and she wasn't even trying.

"Would I let a tree hurt you?" I purred.

"No," was all she could manage.

"You see," I said, kissing her lips fully. "There's nothing to be afraid of, is there?"

"No," she answered in utter defeat and submission.

I took her face in between my hands and pressed her against the Jeep as I kissed her as passionately as I had dreamed I could without hurting her. She responded to my kisses without hesitation, meeting each movement of my lips with her own hungry kisses. She then reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me closer to her, pressing her body against mine. Bella's responses were as natural as mine seemed to be, but I could feel my control lessening and I had to quickly regain it.

I staggered backwards making her loosen her grip on me. "Damn it, Bella," I gasped. "You'll be the death of me, I swear you will."

Bella leaned forward, grabbing her knees. She seemed as overwhelmed by the experience as I was. I would definitely need to work on my willpower because the magnetic pull between us seemed to be growing stronger and her power over me was growing as well. Besides, she seemed to have absolutely no willpower at all.

"You're indestructible," she managed to say as she gasped for air, trying to catch her breath.

"I might have believed that before I met _you_. Now let's get out of here before I do something really stupid," I said. I would have been trying to catch my breath as well, if I needed to breathe. Thank goodness for small miracles.

I gently picked Bella up and tossed her over my shoulder. She made an effort to help me out and wrapped her arms and legs around me. Maybe she wasn't trying to help me so much as she was trying to hold on for dear life. I had a feeling she was as distracted by our encounter as I was.

"Don't forget to close your eyes," I warned her.

She then tucked her face into my shoulder blade and under her arm for extra measure. When I knew she was ready, I took off. I was careful not to jostle her at all. The last thing I needed was a repeat of the last trip. When I stopped, she still hadn't raised her head. I reached around and gently touched her hair.

"It's over Bella," I said, the way a parent would tell a child when they had covered their eyes in the fun house at the carnival.

She slowly raised her head and opened her eyes. Convinced I wasn't running anymore, she loosened her grasp around my neck and waist and fell flat on her bottom. "Oh!" she gasped, landing on the wet ground.

I looked at her for a second, not sure whether to laugh at her clumsiness or to still be upset with her for testing my ability to resist her. It didn't take long to burst out in a thunderous laugh. I could hardly be angry at Bella. She really couldn't help that she was so intoxicating to me.

As soon as I started to laugh, she jumped to her feet, brushing off the mud from the back of her raincoat. She wasn't amused by my reaction. She then turned to storm off into the forest. Clearly she hadn't thought how she would find her way back to civilization, without her personal GPS system. That was one thing I loved about Bella – her fearless attitude. If she thought she was right, or had been wronged, there was no convincing her otherwise – not easily anyway.

I didn't let her get more than a couple of steps away from me before I wrapped my arms around her waist and turned her in the direction of the clearing. "Where are you going, Bella?"

She was incredulous. "To watch a baseball game. You don't seem to be interested in playing anymore, but I'm sure the others will have fun without you."

At this point, I was doubled over with laughter, which did not help her mood. She turned around and glared at me and proceeded to storm off in the opposite direction again.

"Don't be mad, I couldn't help myself. You should have seen your face," I chuckled, not able to help myself.

"Oh, you're the only one who's allowed to get mad?" she asked, spinning on her heels to face me, hands on hips.

"I wasn't mad at you," I explained softly.

"'Bella you'll be the death of me'?" she quoted me sarcastically.

"_That_ was simply a statement of fact."

She tried to turn away one more time but I held tightly onto her waist, pulling her closer to me so she could see the truth in my eyes.

"You were mad," she insisted.

"Yes." I said. She looked at me in utter confusion.

"But you just said –."

"That I wasn't mad at _you_. Can't you see that, Bella?" I pleaded with her, holding her face in my hands so she was forced to look into my eyes. "Don't you understand?"

"See what?" she asked, raising her hand in confusion since I wouldn't release her face.

"I'm never angry with you – how could I be? Brave, trusting…warm as you are." I smiled gently at her. I wished Jasper were closer, to bring a sense of calmness to her.

"Then, why?" she whispered.

"I infuriate myself," I said softly. "The way I can't seem to keep from putting you in danger. My very existence puts you in danger. My very existence puts you at risk. Sometimes I truly hate myself. I should be stronger, I should be able to –."

She reached up and covered my mouth with her hand before I could finish what I was saying. "Don't," she said as if she were fighting back tears.

I moved one of my hands from her cheek and took her hand from my mouth, moving it to my cheek. The warmth of her touch was so soothing, comforting. If I _could_ sleep, I would want it to be beside Bella as she wrapped me in her warmth.

"I love you," I said. "It's a poor excuse for what I'm doing, but it's still true." It was the first time I had said these words out loud to her although I had said them in my mind a million times. I had loved her from the moment I laid eyes on her, even if I didn't initially know that was what the feeling was.

I could feel her stubbornness and bad mood melt away with my words. Her eyes softened and so did her touch. "Now, please try to behave yourself," I said, bending down to gently kiss her – a physical affirmation of the words I had just revealed to her.

She didn't move an inch as I kissed her – careful not to rock the boat. When I backed away from her she sighed.

"You promised Chief Swan that you would have me home early, remember? We'd better get going." I had to give her credit. She was trying to stay on task.

"Yes, ma'am," I said, reaching down to take her hand in mine, leading her a short distance through tall, wet ferns and draping moss, past several giant hemlock trees into the clearing.

The clearing was an enormous field, surrounded by the beauty of the Olympic Mountains. It was the place where my family came to play football and baseball – far from the public eye. It was a place where we didn't have to pretend to be anything other than what we were.

My family was already here. Jasper and Alice were on the far side of the clearing, tossing the baseball back and forth to each other. Bella probably was unable to tell what they were doing since the speed at which they threw, made the ball all but invisible to the human eye. Carlisle was marking the bases, which were spaced about three times as far apart as they were on a typical baseball field. After all, we weren't your average athletes.

Closest to us, sitting on an outcropping of rocks were Esme, Emmett and Rosalie. As soon as we stepped out of the forest the three of them stood up. Esme lit up and moved quickly towards us, greeting Bella with a warm embrace. Rosalie turned and walked towards the field, without even looking in our direction. While she wasn't welcoming Bella with open arms like the rest of the family, she was making progress, for Rosalie.

Emmett took notice of Rosalie as she walked away towards the center of the field. Rosalie always walked like she was on the runway and Emmett always enjoyed the show.

"Was that you we heard, Edward?" Esme asked, gently touching my elbow with her hand.

"We thought it was a bear choking," Emmett teased as he approached us.

Bella smiled shyly and answered. "That was him."

"Bella was being unintentionally funny," I explained.

Alice came running in our direction exclaiming with glee, "It's time!" Just as she said that, a clap of thunder shook the surrounding forest. Bella jumped from the shock of it.

"Eerie, isn't it?" Emmett winked at her. He was more than trying to make up for Rosalie's distance by welcoming Bella into the family, as it were.

"Let's go," Alice said, grasping Emmett's hand, running towards the center of the ball field.

A wide smile crossed my lips and my eyes lit up with the prospect of a family game of baseball – one that I could share with Bella. "Are you ready for some ball?" I asked her.

She smiled hesitantly, not knowing what to expect, just that it wouldn't be the type of ballgame Charlie watched on the big screen. "Go team!" she mustered a slight cheer, raising her fist in the air.

I chuckled at her enthusiasm, mussed her hair and took off towards Emmett and Alice, quickly passing them. I was, after all, the fastest of the Cullens.

Emmett had met up with Rosalie and whispered to her as they both headed past us, back to home plate. "Nice Kitty," he said.

I could hear Esme chatting with Bella as they moved behind home plate, explaining that she didn't play with us, preferring, instead to referee. She knew we all had a propensity to cheat, using the advantages each of us possessed. We were highly competitive.

I knew it would be polite to avoid listening to Esme's thoughts and words, but I wanted to know how Bella was taking to my family and they to her. "…I think of them as my children in most ways," Esme said, looking lovingly towards us. "I never could get over my mothering instincts – did Edward tell you I had lost a child?"

While I couldn't read her mind, I saw Bella shake her head. I hadn't told her the details of anyone's story – with the exception of Carlisle. I felt I was invading their privacy just by hearing their thoughts. The least I could do was try to keep their secrets to myself.

"Yes, my first and only baby," Esme explained. Bella was hanging on her every word and had a very sympathetic look on her face. She was beginning to see Esme the way the rest of us did, as a mother.

"He died just a few days after he was born, the poor tiny thing," she sighed. I could tell it was difficult for Esme to tell Bella of her past. It _was_ painful after all. I knew she was telling Bella because she was bringing her into the fold of our family. It was about trust.

"It broke my heart – that's why I jumped off the cliff you know," she said more matter-of-factly. It had taken her decades to come to a place where she didn't break down in sobs out of guilt. She realized without those circumstances she would not have Carlisle, or any of us. She figured this was her fate. We all needed a mother and father and she was happy she and Carlisle could fill those roles for us.

I noticed Bella had reached up to her chest, laying her hand on over her heart and I could see tears welling up in her eyes. She must have told Esme that all I had mentioned to her was her falling.

Then I heard Esme sing my praises. "Always the gentleman," she said proudly. "Edward was the first of my new sons. I've always thought of him that way, even though he's older than I, in one way at least." She smiled at Bella and hugged her around the waist. "That's why I'm so happy that he's found you, dear. He's been the odd man out for far too long; it's hurt me to see him alone."

A smile came to Bella's face and the tears disappeared. Hearing Esme's vote of approval had pleased her.

"You're what he wants. It will work out somehow," Esme reassured her.

Another clap of thunder sounded overhead and Alice took to the pitcher's mound. I waited, rather, impatiently in out-field. Carlisle took his position between first and second bases.

Jasper took his place behind home plate to catch for Alice. While we all had our gloves, we rarely used them. We preferred to catch bare-handed, able to react more quickly to the feel of the ball in our hands. Besides, we couldn't break any bones, even with the force we all put behind our hits and throws.

Emmett was swinging his bat back and forth as though he were slaying dragons. It made whistling sounds in the air as it moved furiously back and forth with each swing.

"All right," Esme announced. "Batter up." With that, the game began.

_Hanging curve-ball_, Alice let me know.

Alice wound up and pitched the ball towards Emmett. He didn't even have time to swing the bat before it hit Jasper's hands.

"If they don't hit it, it's a strike," Esme explained to Bella. It was nice that Esme wasn't playing with us, giving her the opportunity to explain our rules to Bella, as well as time for them to bond with each other.

It brought a smile to my face just knowing that Bella was comfortable with my family and they were re-assuring her that they more than accepted our relationship – with the exception of Rosalie.

With Alice's next pitch, Emmett's bat made contact with the ball, making a thunderous explosion. Now Bella understood why we needed a thunderstorm to play ball. If it weren't for the thunderstorm, the residents of Forks would surely find the sounds of our game play…disturbing.

The ball headed right past me, deep within the forest. I made eye contact with it as it whistled past me and took off in pursuit, dodging trees and ferns effortlessly. Emmett had knocked the snot out of the ball, but it was no match for my speed. The moment I stepped out of the woods with the ball raised high in the air, Esme made the call.

"Out!" she yelled.

She then turned to Bella and explained, "Emmett hits the hardest, but Edward runs the fastest."

I could see Bella smile in my direction. She seemed to genuinely be enjoying vampire baseball.

Emmett had made it almost to third base when I came out of the woods with the ball and he was frustrated. He knew I was fast, but he always hoped his strength would win out. None of us liked to loose but especially Emmett and Rosalie. Emmett didn't like to loose because he had such a competitive, athletic nature. Rosalie didn't like to lose because Rosalie wanted to be the best at everything. It ate at her that, in fact, I was the best at everything.

We continued to play the inning and Esme continued to explain vampire baseball to Bella.

Jasper stepped up to bat. _I'm not going to give Edward a chance to catch this one_. This should be good.

He cracked the bat and hit a ground ball towards Carlisle instead of into the out-field, where I would have caught it immediately.

Carlisle grabbed the ball and ran to beat Jasper to first base. The two of them met simultaneously, crashing into each other like cars crashing in a high-speed collision. The sound sent another thunderous roar through the area. I saw Bella jump in shock, raising her hands to cover her mouth.

"Safe!" Esme exclaimed. Carlisle and Jasper both got up and high-fived each other. Carlisle headed back to his position and Jasper waited anxiously on base as Rosalie came up to bat.

I caught the third out and ran straight for Bella. "What do you think?" I asked, excitedly.

"One thing's for sure, I'll never be able to sit through a dull old Major League baseball game again." She said, patting me on the back in congratulations.

"I'm a little disappointed," she said as I picked up my bat to warm up.

"Why?" I asked. What hadn't she enjoyed about the game so far? I wondered.

"Well, it would be nice to find just one thing that you didn't do better than everyone else on the planet," she smirked, crossing her arms across her chest to keep the warmth in.

I flashed my crooked smile at her – the one that seemed to dazzle her without exception. Sure enough, she was breathless.

"I'm up," I winked at her, heading up to bat.

Rosalie was playing out-field and Emmett was holding Carlisle's previous position between first and second bases.

Knowing what they were thinking before I batted was quite helpful. If Rosalie was expecting a fly-ball to center-field, I hit a grounder towards second. If Emmett expected me to bunt, I knocked it out of the field.

I hit a grounder between second and third and made it to second base before Emmett could put the ball back in play.

Then Carlisle hit one so hard that the sound of the bat cracking against the ball made Bella cover her ears. That hit brought us both home, receiving high fives from Alice and an approving smile from Bella. Just seeing how much she was enjoying the game made me play harder – if that was possible.

While the thunder continued, the score went back and forth as we each took our turns at bat. True to Alice's prediction though, the rain stayed away from the field.

Then, like a lightning strike, the game came to a sudden halt.

Carlisle had just stepped up to bat and I was playing catcher. Alice went stiff and gasped. _I'm sorry. I didn't see them_. I rushed to Bella's side and everyone in the family knew something was terribly wrong.

"Alice?" Esme asked with concern.

The family all rushed towards home-plate where I stood with Bella and my mother and father.

"I didn't see – I couldn't tell," Alice whispered. She had already apologized to me. This was more for everyone else and herself. Her visions were subjective and we all knew that. None of us truly blamed her for missing the timing on this one.

"What is it, Alice?" Carlisle asked, taking the lead in the matter.

"They were traveling so much quicker than I thought. I can see I had the perspective wrong before," she explained.

Jasper leaned over her protectively and asked, "What changed?" She had probably shared more with Jasper than the rest of us when she had for-seen the visitors in her earlier vision.

Her voice was wrought with guilt. "They heard us playing, and it changed their path."

Everyone turned their eyes to me and quickly away before Bella became frightened.

Carlisle then turned to me for answers. "How soon?"

"Less than five minutes. They're running – they want to play," I growled, wrapping my arms protectively around Bella's waist. I had to get her out of here before they arrived, but there wasn't time. I would be slowed down by Bella's human speed.

Our visitors were nomadic vampires and they did not share our same values regarding human life. They fed on humans and I knew that Bella's scent was not only mouth-watering to me – it would be to them as well.

"Can you make it?" Carlisle asked me, looking at Bella with concern. Right now, her safety was foremost on all our minds and we all had only one thought – getting her out of this situation, _alive_.

"No, not carrying –," I started. The rest of them knew what I meant but I didn't want to finish my sentence, frightening Bella any more than she already was. I could feel her body tremble beneath my grasp and her eyes were filled with terror of the unknown. "Besides, the last thing we need is for them to catch the scent and start hunting."

"How many?" Emmett asked Alice. It was always about advantages with Emmett. He planned for the attack rather than the retreat or surrender.

"Three," she answered.

"Three!" Emmett scoffed. "Let them come." I could see the muscles in his arm tensing. Emmett was always ready for a fight, whether with a grizzly bear or a trio of nomadic vampires. _Seven against three – no problem_.

We all waited for Carlisle's decision. He knew better than us how to handle a situation like this and I knew the last thing he would do was put any of us, Bella especially, in harm's way.

"Let's just continue the game," he suggested. "Alice said they were merely curious."

We all spoke so quickly, because the situation had to be appraised expeditiously, but also because we didn't want Bella to hear or understand much of what was going on. I don't believe she knew exactly what danger was coming, but she knew the whole mood had changed and hers did as well.

_Are they thirsty?_ Esme thought to me.

_Yes_.

"You catch, Esme," I said, planting myself in front of Bella. It was my job to be her protector. I would not put that responsibility on anyone else. "I'll call it now."

_We will not leave her side, Edward,_ Esme reassured me.

By now Bella had to notice everyone's eyes scanning the surrounding forest as they headed back out onto the field. Alice and Esme stayed close to Bella and me as well. I wanted to comfort her, to reassure her, but mostly, I wanted to escape with her. There was no time for any of that. My thoughts now had to be focused on the minds of our visitors and what their plans were.

"Take your hair down," I told her in a low voice. She obediently pulled the rubber band from her hair and shook it so it fell across her back and shoulders. I hoped that her hair would cover the scent from her throat, where it was strongest.

If I doubted how much Bella knew at that point, I doubted it no longer when she spoke. "The others are coming now?" She remembered my brief mention of my conversation with Carlisle before.

"Yes, stay very still, keep quiet, and don't move from my side, please," I said, raising me hand to pull her hair forward, in an effort to cover as much of her throat as possible.

"That won't help," Alice said softly. "I could smell her across the field." That just re-iterated for me what I already knew, Bella's scent was extraordinary to more than just me. My family resisted because that wasn't who we were. The same would not be true for the visitors. They had no family loyalty, just hunger.

"I know," I said out of frustration. At this point, this situation was out of my control. I would have to wait until they arrived and I could read their thoughts to know to what degree I would or would not have to respond.

_Edward, I'm worried,_ Alice thought.

I looked at her like the big-brother I was, _No need to worry Alice. We outnumber them, but I hope it doesn't come to that…There's nothing you could have done differently to change this, you know._

_Thank you_, she smiled.

Carlisle stepped up the plate and everyone else tried to continue the game so the nomads were not suspicious when they arrived shortly.

"What did Esme ask you?" Bella whispered to me.

I hesitated at answering her question but, at this point, it was better that Bella be well-informed. "Whether they were thirsty."

We continued to play, in silence. There was no cheering, high-fiving or trash-talking like earlier. I concentrated on the forest, scanning it constantly to see which direction they would appear from. The rest of the family stayed within the clearing, no one running into the forest. We all had to be prepared for anything and that meant staying close to each other and close to Bella.

_Anything yet Edward?_ Emmett thought.

"No," I answered low enough for Bella not to notice but for Emmett to hear.

On a few instances, I caught Rosalie shooting glares at Bella. She was angry. This was one of her fears. Bella's existence had put her existence, and our family's in danger and she did not like that at all. While Bella could not help this situation, Rosalie didn't care. It was still _because_ of her. _Stupid human._

I could understand her anger. It was just directed at the wrong person. It was _my_ fault for bringing Bella here, for letting my desire to be with her compromise her life. "I'm sorry, Bella," I said fiercely. "It was stupid, irresponsible, to expose you like this. I'm so sorry."

As soon as I made my apologies to Bella I knew they had arrived. I turned to face the forest behind right-field, where they would soon emerge. I planted myself firmly between Bella and their direction.

_They're here_? Alice asked.

_Yes._

Soon enough, we would all know if Emmett would get his wish for a battle. I truly hoped they would lose interest and disappear back into the forest.

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**A/N: Can't wait to hear what you think! **


	9. Chapter 18 THE HUNT

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fan-fiction based on Stephenie Meyers' Twilight Series. (No copyright infringement intended). **

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The nomadic vampires stepped from the forest into the clearing. They were barefoot, in weathered clothing, clearly having spent a great deal of time outdoors.

_How interesting_, thought the tall, olive-skinned vampire who stepped out of the woods, followed by another male and a female.

Outside of the Volturi in Italy and the Denali clan in Alaska, we were the largest coven of vampires I was aware of. Surely this is what peaked his interest. He had a warm smile and I didn't feel he posed any danger to us.

_It wouldn't hurt to stop long enough for a game of baseball. _The red-headed female grinned in Rosalie and Jasper's direction. She seemed harmless as well, but I had no doubt she would play as hard, or harder, than Emmett or Rosalie. There was a fire in her eyes that matched her fiery hair.

The third vampire was more subdued. He didn't smile and looked intently at our group. I could tell he was thinking, trying to figure each of us out individually. _That one seems very protective. I wonder which of the females is his mate._

The leader of the coven stepped forward towards Carlisle. "We thought we heard a game," he spoke with a slight French accent. "I'm Laurent, these are Victoria and James," he said, gesturing towards his companions.

"I'm Carlisle," my father responded. With a sweeping motion encompassing all of us as a group he introduced us. "This is my family, Emmett and Jasper, Rosalie, Esme and Alice, Edward and Bella." He made it a point not to introduce us individually, so as not to bring any attention to Bella. Despite the circumstances, I was happy to hear Bella introduced as part of our family.

"Do you have room for a few more players?" Laurent asked.

Carlisle smiled, trying to be as gracious as possible. "Actually, we were just finishing up. But we'd certainly be interested another time. Are you planning to stay in the area for long?" Carlisle maintained his friendly demeanor as he tried to learn more about their plans so we could formulate ours accordingly.

"We're headed north, in fact, but we were curious to see who was in the neighborhood. We haven't run into any company in a long time." Laurent responded.

That was good news – there weren't more vampires to worry about. Protecting Bella from others of our kind was nothing I had ever anticipated.

Carlisle explained that, outside of the Denali clan we were the only coven with a permanent residence. He requested that Laurent's group stay outside of our hunting area which included the Olympic Range and down the Coast Ranges.

While the nomads looked at Carlisle with surprise that we had a permanent home, I knew the third vampire, called James, was more focused on me.

I furtively reached behind me to touch Bella's hand, reminding her that I was not going to let any harm come to her. I hoped the others would not notice, but the one called James didn't miss the gesture.

_So _she_ must be his mate_. _I wonder why he is so protective of her. For that matter, they _all_ seem protective of this girl_.

My fears had come to pass and I knew he suspected something was amiss. I only hoped we would be able to leave the area before he discovered she was human.

My glare became focused on James and James alone. He posed the greatest danger and became the center of my attention.

Carlisle was unaware of what was transpiring between James and I and invited the nomads to follow us home so he could show them how we lived.

"That sounds very interesting, and welcome," Laurent smiled after exchanging glances with Victoria. "We've been on the hunt all the way down from Ontario, and we haven't had the chance to clean up in a while." He gazed at Carlisle's refined appearance and down at his dirty clothes.

"We'll show you the way if you'd like to run with us – Emmett and Alice, you can go with Edward and Bella to get the Jeep," Carlisle added casually in an effort to make them believe travelling both ways was normal for us.

Almost as soon as Carlisle said that, the situation took a dramatic change.

The wind picked up and ruffled Bella's hair – stirring the breeze into the air. I immediately stiffened up into a protective stance next to her and let out a deep, guttural growl. James, the second of the nomads whipped his head around towards us and immediately went down into a crouch, an attack position. He had smelled Bella and there was no turning back now.

"What's this?" Laurent exclaimed with great surprise at how the situation had seemingly turned on a dime. Apparently Bella's scent wasn't as strong to the other two as it was to James. I kept my eyes totally focused on him and stepped, protectively in front of Bella as Alice and Esme surrounded her from the side.

"She's with us," Carlisle directed sternly at James.

James then took a step forward and an involuntary growl that was deeper and more ferocious than the last leapt from my lungs. "You brought a snack?" he asked, curiously.

"I said she's with us," Carlisle re-iterated.

Laurent, who had taken a step back at this time, seemed to be against a confrontation and appeared to be surprised. "But she's _human_?"

"Yes." Emmett answered simply and sternly, taking his position at Carlisle's side. Emmett was looking directly at James and his eyes revealed how desperately he wanted James to take one more step. _I'll take him out before he has a chance to get any closer_.

Despite Emmett's intimidating presence and his undeniable rage, James did not take his eyes off of Bella, his nostrils flaring as he breathed her scent in deeply. I never took my eyes off of his and crouched even further down, prepared to leap at him to protect Bella.

Laurent then spoke, calmly. It was as if he was trying to diffuse the situation. Clearly a battle was not what he desired. "It appears we have a lot to learn about each other."

"Indeed," Carlisle responded with the same calmness Laurent was exhibiting.

Laurent then looked at me and back at Carlisle. He seemed to know this was far more personal to me than the rest of my family. "But we'd like to accept your invitation." Then he added, "And, of course, we will not harm the human girl. We won't hunt in your range, as I said."

Laurent seemed to be the most level-headed of the group and had a great desire to diffuse the situation as quickly and calmly as possible. Victoria had not said a word, but her eyes were moving back and forth between Bella, Rosalie and Jasper who were standing mere feet from her. She seemed to be more inclined to follow James' line of thought rather than Laurent's.

_This will be the best meal we have had in months_.

James took his eyes off of Bella and glanced, with confusion at Laurent, then Victoria. He seemed perplexed by the route Laurent was taking. James wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth into Bella, regardless of how many vampires were protecting her.

Carlisle looked at Laurent and studied him for a moment, trying to discern whether or not to take him back to the house. He must have felt Laurent's words were sincere. "We'll show you the way. Jasper, Rosalie, Esme?" he asked, gathering them to block us. _Four of us can watch the nomads closely. You, Emmett and Alice are best served protecting Bella and getting her out of here_, he directed his thoughts towards me.

Alice must have seen Carlisle's plans. She was instantly at Bella's side, more closely than before, with her arm wrapped protectively around her shoulders. Emmett fell back from his position beside Carlisle, backing towards us, eyes locked on James the entire time.

I rose from my crouch, eyes still on James, my body still rigid with anger and anticipation. Without turning away just yet, I reached around and took Bella's hand and said, "Let's go Bella."

She was completely still. My words and touch had not registered with her. She seemed frozen in fear. I turned and grabbed her by her elbow, pulling her out of her trance. Alice and Emmett then moved closely behind us, hiding Bella from the nomads.

I moved as fast as I could, dragging Bella along beside me. I did not want to move at my normal speed, giving the nomads more reason to look in our direction. Bella was moving as fast as I could pull her along but it wasn't fast enough for me.

The moment we hit the forest's edge, I tossed her over my shoulder and ran into the darkness for the Jeep. I didn't give her time to protest. Emmett and Alice ran behind us as fast as they could, but my desire to remove Bella from the danger made me run at top speed, leaving them trailing behind us.

We quickly arrived at the Jeep and in one swift motion; I flung the back door of the Jeep open and tossed Bella into the seat, shutting the door behind her. "Strap her in," I ordered Emmett, who had scrambled in the other side next to her. Alice was quickly in the front passenger seat as I climbed in and started the engine.

I could not recall having ever felt so much rage and desperation. I had put Bella in this situation and now I feared she was in terrible danger, for the nomad named James was a tracker.

After sensing my reactions to him in the clearing he had decided Bella was his latest hunt and he would not give up until he had succeeded or until we killed him. I knew there were only two ways this could go, either Bella would be killed or James would be. For me, there was clearly only one outcome, we would have to destroy James in order to protect Bella.

I had driven out of the woods much faster than the journey into it. I was in a rush to beat the tracker. By this time Alice had relayed an important piece of information to me. _The tracker and his mate have left the leader. They are pursuing us_.

While my eyes were focused ahead, trying to decide how best to handle the situation and cursing the entire time at the impossibility of all of this, I glanced back at Bella. Her chocolate eyes were not warm – they were dark and filled with abject terror. She was gripping the arm rest and looking at me for answers.

The moment we hit the main road and headed south, away from Forks, Bella spoke up, hysterical. "Where are we going?"

None of us looked at her. Emmett and Alice knew that, right now, I was in control and they were there as support and to protect Bella. No one needed to frighten her or bring her into the discussion. There _was_ no discussion. I would take Bella as far away from Forks as possible to protect her from the tracker.

Our silence only heightened her confusion and anger. "Damnit, Edward! Where are you taking me?" I had never heard Bella use a curse word, let alone at me.

"We have to get you away from here – far away – now." I sternly answered. I never took my eyes off the road. I never looked at her. Looking at her might shake my resolve and right now I couldn't afford to make that mistake.

She shouted even louder at me. "Turn around! You have to take me home!" I could hear her struggling with the harness, trying to release herself from it. What did she think she would do, jump from a moving vehicle to escape? Hardly possible.

"Emmett," I commanded. He immediately grasped onto her hands, preventing her from trying to further escape.

"No! Edward! No, you can't do this." She continued to protect loudly.

"I have to, Bella, now please be quiet." I said in a lower voice than I had been using. Jasper would have come in handy right now, to calm Bella and make her listen to me. I knew what was best for her and she shouldn't argue about it.

Alice sat quietly next to me. I knew she wanted to add her two cents worth, but she had never seen me quite so angry herself and seemed to know her silence was the way to go right now.

The protests continued from Bella. She was not easily backing down on this subject. "I won't! You have to take me back – Charlie will call the FBI! They'll be all over your family – Carlisle and Esme! They'll have to leave, to hide forever!"

She was right, but it didn't matter to me and I didn't think that would matter to my family either. We had been through situations with the law before and that was an inherent risk our family took, living the way we did. Her argument would not sway me.

"Calm down, Bella." I said coldly. "We have been there before."

She continued to yell her protests and struggle, with futility, against Emmett's grasp. "Not over me, you don't! You're not ruining everything over me!"

Finally, Alice spoke up. I should have known she could not remain silent forever. "Edward, pull over," she said calmly.

I turned quickly to her and glared, speeding the Jeep up. She was not going to interfere with my resolve in this matter.

"Edward, let's just talk this through," she pleaded, gently. How could I be expected to focus on saving Bella's life when I had to battle two girls in this situation? I may have had 108 years experience, but girls had a way of getting what they wanted and I did not have the energy to battle that front as well.

"You don't understand," I roared in frustration, speeding up to 115 miles per hour on the speedometer. I knew what was best. I knew what the tracker was planning. I read his thoughts and he wanted to kill Bella worse than I had on that first day at school. "He's a tracker, Alice, did you _see_ that? He's a tracker!"

I could tell when I said that, Emmett and Alice both took me a little more seriously.

_A tracker? We have to kill him Edward_. _There is no other choice_, Emmett thought.

_No Edward. I did not _see_ that. If I had, don't you think I would have warned you? I am so sorry_, Alice apologized, still determined to change my plans.

"Pull over Edward," Alice said softly again, this time with more resolve.

I ignored her and hit the gas, increasing my speed to over 120.

"Do it Edward," Alice said, looking at me with her soft eyes.

"Listen to me Alice, I saw his mind. Tracking is his passion, his obsession – and he wants her, Alice – _her_, specifically. He begins the hunt tonight."

"He doesn't know where –," she started.

I quickly interrupted her. "How long do you think it will take him to cross her scent in town? His plan was already set before the words were out of Laurent's mouth."

Just then, Bella was back in the argument. She gasped loudly, grasping the implications of his obsession with hunting her. "Charlie! You can't leave him there! You can't leave him!" She had begun to fight against Emmett with a new-found vigor but was no match for him – even on his worst day.

"She's right," Alice added. Of course she would. She had some crazy obsession with Bella as well and I figured she would argue anything at this point to get on Bella's good side.

As much as I didn't want to admit it, they were both right. There was more for me to consider, than just Bella. I slowed the Jeep down slowly. As I slowed, Alice saw her opening and realized that, perhaps, I was actually considering what she had to say.

"Let's just look at our options for a moment," Alice encouraged.

I continued to slow down and quickly pulled to the shoulder of the highway, screeching to a halt.

"There are no options", I said in a calmer voice. I knew there had to be other ways to deal with this in their minds and I should listen, but I was steadfast in my belief there was only one option. Like Emmett said, we had to kill James and to do that, I had to get Bella to a safe place.

"I'm not leaving Charlie!" Bella screamed from the backseat. Without the engine revving and my own booming voice, Bella's words absolutely screeched in the confines of the Jeep.

I continued to ignore her. The more I acknowledged her the more she thought she could win.

Then Emmett decided it was time to speak out. "We have to take her back."

All three of them were against me now. I knew I had very little chance of continuing with my game plan, but my tone didn't betray my thoughts. "No."

"He's no match for us, Edward. He won't be able to touch her." Emmett reassured me.

"He'll wait," I said. Yes, Emmett was right but my first priority was Bella's safety. I could hardly fight James and protect Bella at the same time.

Alice and Bella listened to Emmett and I argue back and forth about how to deal with James, his mate and Laurent. If we killed James, _when_ we killed James, his mate would soon come after us and Laurent, being the leader, would follow as well.

"There's another option," Alice said quietly. She never needed to raise her voice to get our attention. Even though she had the appearance of a small, dainty feminine figure, Alice was more than anything, a very fierce, loyal soul and had great resolve.

I turned on her, in fury that no one understood what I was saying. "There – is – no – other – option!"

Alice locked into my stare and she did not back down. She and I both glared at each other while Bella and Emmett watched in anticipation.

Finally, Bella broke the silence. "Does anyone want to hear _my_ plan?"

Of course, Bella felt left out of this conversation. She had no grasp of the severity of the situation and I didn't feel she could offer much in the way of viable options.

"No," I growled without taking my eyes off of Alice.

Alice then glared at me with more anger. _Listen to someone else, Edward. You aren't the only one involved_.

My protest didn't deter Bella. "Listen," she pleaded. "You take me back…"

"No," I interrupted before she had the chance to continue.

Bella remained un-phased. She glared at me as I glanced back at her in an effort to avoid Alice's disapproving glare.

"You take me back. I tell my dad I want to go home to Phoenix. I pack my bags. We wait till this tracker is watching, and then we run. He'll follow us and leave Charlie alone. Charlie won't call the FBI on your family. Then you can take me any damned place you want." Again, with the curse words. She was really angry.

All three of us stared at Bella, stunned she had come up with such a well-thought out plan. After all, she had no experience battling or out-witting vampires but Bella was always full of surprises.

Emmett shrugged his shoulders and gave his opinion. "It's not a bad idea, really."

Then Alice chimed in. "It might work – and we simply can't leave her father unprotected. You know that."

All three of them were looking at me. They were anxious to know if the argument had dissuaded me.

I remained unconvinced. "It's too dangerous – I don't want him within a hundred miles of her."

Emmett chuckled with his brazen over-confidence. "Edward, he's not getting through us."

Alice put herself into one of her trances. She was trying to see what was in the future, to either convince me or accept my argument. "I don't see him attacking. He'll try to wait for us to leave her alone."

Alice hadn't seen the fact that he was a tracker to begin with and didn't see them coming into the clearing until it was too late for us to do anything about it. Why should I trust her vision now? If she was wrong, it would be a deadly mistake.

"It won't take long for him to realize that's not going to happen," I responded.

"I _demand_ that you take me home", Bella said from the backseat. If the situation wasn't so dire, I would have found her effort at authority endearing - cute even. She _demanded_?

I was so frustrated with having been bombarded by the three of them. I pressed my fingers into my temple, squeezing my eyes shut. Maybe I could shut them out.

"Please," she said in a much softer, childlike voice. Had she just tried that from the beginning she would have won. It was difficult to say no to Bella, especially when she was so determined.

I answered with the mental exhaustion I felt over the entire situation. "You're leaving tonight, whether the tracker sees or not. You tell Charlie that you can't stand another minute in Forks. Tell him whatever story works. Pack the first things your hands touch, and then get in your truck. I don't care what he says to you. You have fifteen minutes. Do you hear me? Fifteen minutes from the time you cross the doorstep." I spoke in a subdued but authoritative tone. We would do it her way, but by my rules. No questions. No arguments. No further discussion.

I turned the Jeep back on and peeled out, spinning it around to head back towards Forks, towards Bella's house.

Bella asked Emmett to release his grip on her and he apologized. Other than that, we all sat in silence, contemplating. After further developing the plan in my mind, I gave instructions to them.

"This is how it's going to happen. When we get to the house, if the tracker is not there, I will walk her to the door. Then she has fifteen minutes." I glared at Bella in the rearview mirror. I wanted to make certain she heard and understood my instructions. There would be no deviations. "Emmett, you take the outside of the house. Alice, you get the truck. I'll be inside as long as she is. After she's out, you two can take the Jeep home and tell Carlisle."

I was certain the rest of the family was wondering what was going on and what course of action we had taken. With Alice and I together, they had no one there to inform them. I knew Carlisle had confidence in us and would continue to play out his part until he knew how I was going to proceed.

"No way," Emmett argued. "I'm with you."

"Think it through, Emmett. I don't know how long I'll be gone," I said, shaking my head in utter frustration. I had just made it through one argument. I was hardly in the mood for another.

Emmett wasn't deterred. "Until we know how far this is going to go, I'm with you."

There was an exception to the plan and I had to share it with them, although I know Bella wouldn't want to hear it. "If the tracker _is_ there, we keep driving."

"We're going to make it there before him," Alice said confidently. With the certainty in her voice, I had no reason to further doubt her.

"What are we going to do with the Jeep?" Alice asked.

"You're driving it home," I answered with a hint of sarcasm. How did she not expect that would be my answer?

"No, I'm not," she said simply and quietly. Sometimes I wish she would raise her voice like Rosalie or Emmett would and I could have a proper argument with her. If I continued to raise my voice and argue with her when she was so sweet sounding, I came off as a bully. Another string of profanities came out of my mouth, much too fast or low for Bella to decipher. Alice knew _exactly_ what I was saying though.

"We can't all fit in my truck," Bella whispered.

I heard her and I knew she was right, but I didn't acknowledge her. I needed to focus on the issue immediately at hand.

"I think you should let me go alone," she said even more quietly than before.

I heard her. She knew it. Everyone knew it.

"Bella, please just do this my way, just this once," I said, gritting my teeth together.

"Listen, Charlie's not an imbecile," she protested, raising her voice slightly, since she now had my attention. "If you're not in town tomorrow, he's going to get suspicious."

I could have cared less about that. My one and only concern was Bella's safety and well-being, no matter the price I had to pay. "That's irrelevant. We'll make sure he's safe, and that's all that matters"

"Then what about this tracker?" Bella asked. She was going to go in a different direction to get her way. "He saw the way you acted tonight. He's going to think you're with me, wherever you are."

In the rearview mirror I could see Emmett look at Bella with surprise. "Edward, listen to her," he urged me. "I think she's right."

"Yes, she is," Alice agreed.

"I can't do that," I said coldly.

Bella added that Emmett should stay behind as well since James got an eyeful of him in the clearing. She then explained that if I let her go and stayed in Forks for a week, Charlie would not be suspicious and I would have time to lead the tracker on a wild-goose chase.

Alice jumped in and suggested that she and Jasper take Bella, so that she would not be alone. In a week, I could meet up with them and they could return to Forks.

I was considering their plan although the only person I wanted protecting Bella was me. I was the one who got her into the situation and I clearly had more to lose than anyone. Therefore, my ability to protect her would be the greatest. I also could not trust Alice not to share with Bella her visions of her future. And Jasper? He was new to this vegetarian life-style and I worried how he would handle being around Bella without me to protect her.

"Meet you where?" I asked, resigning myself to the probability that their idea might, in fact, work.

"Phoenix," Bella answered matter-of-factly.

I was growing impatient. Impatient with their argument and impatient with the impasse we seemed to be at. "No. He'll hear that's where you're going," I answered.

Bella was quick with a reply. "And you'll make it look like that's a ruse, obviously. He'll know that we'll know that he's listening. He'll never believe I'm actually going where I say I am going."

Emmett chuckled, "She's diabolical." He seemed genuinely taken aback by Bella's ability to conjure up such a brilliant plan.

"And if that doesn't work?" I posed the question, always the devil's advocate, if you will.

"There are several million people in Phoenix," she retorted.

"It's not that hard to find a phone book," I reminded her. At this point I knew I was fighting a losing battle, but I would fight it, regardless, on the off chance that I might win.

"I won't go home," she promised.

"Oh?" I asked as a father would. What exactly was her plan then?

"I'm quite old enough to get my own place," she fought back.

"Edward, we'll be with her," Alice reminded me, softly.

"What are _you_ going to _do_ in Phoenix?" I asked sarcastically. How much protection could they offer Bella when they couldn't even go out in the sun? In Phoenix, that pretty much meant anytime the sun was up.

"Stay indoors", Alice answered simply.

Emmett liked the plan and made that clear. I hoped at least my brother would take my side. I was wrong.

"Look, if we try to take him down while she's still around, there's a much better chance that someone will get hurt – she'll get hurt or you will, trying to protect her. Now, if we get him alone…" Emmett trailed off with a big smile, undoubtedly imagining a confrontation with the tracker. He had the best argument all night long. My presence _would_ put Bella more at risk.

As I got closer to town and the prying eyes of the citizens of Forks, I slowed the Jeep down to a regular speed. Alice and Emmett were scanning the area outside from their windows, looking for any sign of James as we neared Bella's house.

"Bella," I said softly. "If you let anything happen to yourself – anything at all – I'm holding you personally responsible. Do you understand that?" I asked.

"Yes," She gulped. She knew I was holding her to that. If I was to let her and Alice go about things her way, she had to give me that assurance.

I then turned to Alice with my other concerns. "Can Jasper handle this?"

"Give him some credit, Edward. He's been doing very, very well, all things considered," Alice reminded me. It was true. He had kept his distance from Bella and hadn't tried to hurt her once. I had no reason to doubt he would continue with those practices.

"Can _you_ handle this?" I then asked.

Alice didn't seem to appreciate me questioning her. She pulled back her lips in a terrifying grimace, releasing a throaty snarl that seemed to hold Bella in her seat.

I smiled at Alice, because her growling didn't faze me, "But keep your opinions to yourself"

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**A/N: Like it? Let me know, I live off of your reviews**.


	10. Chapter 19 GOODBYES

**This is a work of fan-fiction based on Stephenie Meyers' Twilight Series. (No copyright infringement intended).**

**A/N: Thank you to all that have reviewed so far. I read them all & love to hear from you.**

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As I approached Bella's house I could see all the lights were on. Charlie was still up, waiting on her. I pulled the Jeep up slowly, staying well back from her truck.

Before letting Bella out of the Jeep, Alice, Emmett and I scanned the woods surrounding the Swann house for any sign or scent of James. If there was any chance Alice's vision was wrong and the tracker was anywhere in the area, I would hit the gas and we would immediately head out of town.

My senses had never been keener, with the exception of when I was kissing Bella this afternoon. That moment seemed so distant, so untouchable. I wanted to have more moments like that with her, a human life-time's worth and I needed to make sure I did everything in my power to make sure that would happen.

When I was certain James was nowhere near, I cut off the engine and Emmett helped Bella release the harness that, along with him, had been holding her in place. I reached back and touched her thigh in a gentle, reassuring way. "Don't worry, Bella. We'll take care of things here quickly."

She smiled - a forced smile, but a smile, nonetheless. As if the effort of faking the smile was too much, Bella's eyes filled with tears as she looked at Emmett and me. She was worried about us, not herself. How, Bella.

"Alice, Emmett", I commanded. They immediately slid out of the Jeep and into the woods surrounding Bella's house. They would take the perimeter while I made sure Bella made it inside. As soon as I knew she was in with Charlie, I would climb through the window into her room. I wanted to keep her in sight until I absolutely had to let her go. The thought was overwhelming to me, putting Bella in anyone else's care.

As they left the Jeep, I got out and went around to Bella's side. I opened the door and took her hand, lifting her down from her seat and pulling her into my chest, breathing in the scent of her hair, still strong from the earlier rain. I didn't want to believe this could or would be the last time I would touch or smell Bella. But if it was, I wanted to get as much of her as I could in the short time we had. I then walked her quickly to the door, continuing to scan the darkness even though Alice and Emmett were on patrol.

"Fifteen minutes," I reminded Bella in almost a whisper.

"I can do this," Bella said out loud, although I was certain she was convincing herself. I had no doubts she would do what was necessary.

She then turned, tears in her eyes and sniffling, held my face in her warm hands. A shot of electricity went through my body and she suddenly looked fiercely into my eyes. She was mustering up her strength and she would need it.

"I love you," she said in a low, intense voice, "I will always love you, no matter what happens now."

With as much fierceness, I told her, "Nothing is going to happen to you, Bella."

"Just follow the plan, okay?" she asked. "Keep Charlie safe for me. He's not going to like me very much after this, and I want to have a chance to apologize later." Bella was the thing that mattered most to me in my world. Therefore, I knew how much Charlie meant to her in her world and I would make sure he was as safe as was within my power. It would devastate her if she was to live and anything was to happen to her father. Where would that leave her? Where would that leave us? I didn't want to think about that.

"Get inside, Bella. We have to hurry," I said with urgency. Fifteen minutes were fifteen minutes whether it was spent ruminating on the front porch or saying her goodbyes to Charlie. I preferred she spent the time with her father.

"One more thing," she whispered with such passion, I knew that she had mustered the strength she needed for what she was about to do. "Don't listen to another word I say tonight!"

I was already leaning in close to her as she stretched upwards on her toes to kiss me with as much force as she could manage. She caught me by surprise and I was unable to kiss her back before she turned and kicked the front door open.

"Go away, Edward!" she yelled at me, running inside and slamming the door behind her. I reminded myself, her words were part of the plan. She _had_ reminded me not to listen to another word she said. Still, the words stung as they hit me with the full weight of the possibility of life without Bella.

I gained my composure and slid into her bedroom through her window while she put on her performance for Charlie.

"Leave me alone!" she screamed at Charlie, sobbing at that point. She ran up the stairs with her father following closely behind. She managed to enter her room and slam the door behind her before he could follow her in.

Charlie was pounding on the door as she quickly reached under her mattress and pulled out a rolled up sock, tossing it into her purse.

"Bella, are you okay? What's going on?" he asked in utter confusion and frustration that she wouldn't talk to him.

_Teenagers_.

"I'm going _home_," she shouted to him as she made her way to the dresser, where I was already gathering some clothes for her. I had already opened and laid out her suitcase on her bed before she had gotten upstairs.

_Going home? To Phoenix? What the hell happened tonight?_

I suddenly heard anger in Charlie's voice. "Did he hurt you?" he asked.

Of course I didn't hurt her. I would never harm Bella. The realization was always there that I could easily injure her if I didn't make every effort _not_ to. Still, I could not fathom the thought of bringing harm to her.

"No!" she shrieked to Charlie, grabbing the clothes I was tossing at her, throwing them haphazardly into her suitcase.

"Did he break up with you?" he asked in a perplexed tone. Now that he realized I hadn't hurt her, he could not understand why this had suddenly come about.

Charlie continued to pound on the door in hopes Bella would let him in and could be reasoned with. There was no reasoning with Bella. Ever.

"What happened Bella?" he pleaded.

"_I_ broke up with _him_!" she shouted. Her words were very painful for me to hear, but I knew she was doing and saying what she thought was necessary to get Charlie to allow her to leave. I also was pained to see her sobbing so uncontrollably. This was so much to put on her and it was overwhelming her. The hardest part was knowing that this was the precise course for her right now. This pain would help ensure her safety.

She jerked the zipper of her bag, trying to close it. She was too keyed up to do it. I gently pushed her hands away and zipped it carefully, lifting it and hanging it over her shoulder.

"I'll be in the truck – go!" I whispered, pushing her towards the door. I quickly exited her window and headed down to the truck. I hid on the floor-board of the passenger side until we would clear her house and the view of Charlie.

Charlie still couldn't understand what was wrong with Bella. I could hear him explaining to her that he thought she liked me.

_She's leaving. Just like her mother. What have I done?_ He thought with deep sorrow. I could feel the pain in his thoughts as he accepted Bella's departure. He loved her. That was why he was letting her go, because he believed that was what was best for her. He didn't want her to feel trapped, like Renee had.

Charlie stood frozen on the front porch as Bella ran to the truck. Whatever she had said to convince him to let her go had worked and had shaken him to his core. She tossed her bag into the bed of the truck. She then quickly climbed in through the driver's side door where the key was already waiting in the ignition.

"I'll call you tomorrow!" she yelled from the truck as she quickly pulled out of the drive-way and headed out of town. As soon as we were in a safe place, I moved across the seat, pulling her across my lap as I took the wheel. My foot replaced hers on the gas pedal with a seamless transition.

"You wouldn't be able to find the house", I said to her softly. I knew she was in a fragile emotional state right now and I felt awful that it was because of me she was feeling this way.

Suddenly lights filled the back window of the truck and Bella jerked to look.

"It's just Alice," I reassured her with a hand on her shoulder.

"The tracker?" she asked. Naturally she wondered where he was at and if he had listened to her conversation with Charlie.

"He heard the end of your performance", I said to her. I had to remind myself, it was just that – a performance, nothing personal.

"Charlie?" she asked.

"The tracker followed us," I told her. "He's running behind us now."

She shivered at my words. She didn't understand that was what we wanted. That meant he was not after Charlie. Just as I suspected, James was on Bella's trail. She was the sole focus of his hunt now and would be until he killed her or we killed him.

"Can we outrun him?" she asked.

"No," I answered simply, mashing the gas pedal to the floor of the old truck, trying to force it to go a little faster.

Bella was distraught. There was no relief in her eyes and I knew she doubted her plan. The truth was, her plan was the best one and we would do what we could to make it work out.

She turned again to make sure Alice was still following us. Suddenly, Emmett sprung up from the back of the truck and frightened her.

She let out a blood-curdling scream for all of one second before my hand clamped down over her mouth.

"It's Emmett!" I said, feeling affected by her anxiety.

I quickly released my hand from her mouth and wrapped it around her waist, pulling her towards me. I wanted her to feel safe, not chided.

"It's okay Bella," I promised. "You're going to be safe."

We continued to speed as fast as her truck would allow, out of town, towards my house. I wanted to comfort her in some way.

"Don't worry. He'll forgive you," I smiled reassuringly down at her. She still looked at me with utter panic and I could hardly stand the pain she was suffering. I wanted to take it away, to make all of this go away. All I wanted was for Bella to be _happy_ because of me.

"Bella, it's going to be all right."

"But it won't be all right when I'm not with you," she whispered.

"We'll be together again in a few days," I tried to convince her, tightening my grasp around her waist. I felt like the closer I held her the more reassured she would become and the safer she would feel. "Don't forget that this was your idea."

She didn't miss the opportunity for an 'I-told-you-so' moment. "It was the best idea – of course it was mine."

I smiled quickly at her. She was right. I suddenly became serious again, trying to focus on the tracker.

"Why did this happen?" she asked. "Why me?"

Those words pained me as much as any she had said since the time we left the clearing. I knew why it happened – because of me, because I exposed her to that danger.

"It's my fault – I was a fool to expose you like that," I answered her with anger, but anger that was directed at myself.

"That's not what I meant," she said. "I was there, big deal. It didn't bother the other two. Why did this James decide to kill _me_? There're people all over the place, why me?"

I thought for a moment, before answering her.

"I got a good look at his mind tonight," I said in a low voice, trying not to excite her further. "I'm not sure if there's anything I could have done to avoid this, once he saw you. It is partially your fault," I said wryly. "If you didn't smell so appallingly luscious, he might not have bothered. But when I defended you…well, that made it a lot worse. He's not used to being thwarted, no matter how insignificant the object. He thinks of himself as the hunter and nothing else. His existence is consumed with tracking, and a challenge is all he asks of life. Suddenly we've presented him with the most beautiful challenge – a large clan of strong fighters all bent on protecting the one vulnerable element. You wouldn't believe how euphoric he is right now. It's his favorite game, and we've just made it his most exciting game ever." I felt utter disgust at having to reveal those facts to Bella, but she needed to know, to understand, exactly what we were dealing with.

I paused for a moment before adding the most important fact. "But if I had stood by, he would have killed you right then," I said with hopeless frustration. There was no way out of the situation in the clearing. The only way it would have ended positively would have been if I hadn't taken her there at all.

"I thought…I didn't smell the same to the others…as I do to you," she said, hesitantly. She had heard every word I said and had taken them all in. That was good.

"You don't," I explained to her. "But that doesn't mean that you aren't still a temptation to every one of them. If you had appealed to the tracker – or any of them – the same way you appeal to me, it would have meant a fight right there."

She shuddered in my arms at the thought of that.

"I don't think I have any choice but to kill him now", I muttered, "Carlisle won't like it."

As we crossed the bridge over the river, Bella knew we were getting close to the house and she would have to ask me any questions before then, before we went our separate directions.

"How can you kill a vampire?" she asked. I understood why she asked. Every other myth she had believed about our kind, I had debunked. Certainly she knew a stake through the heart was another mere work of fiction.

I despised having to tell her the gory truth, but at this point, there were no secrets. "The only way to be sure is to tear him to shreds, and then burn the pieces."

"And the other two will fight with him?" she asked, curiously. If my family would fight together, then theirs would as well.

"The woman will. I'm not sure about Laurent. They don't have a very strong bond – he's only with them for convenience. He was embarrassed by James in the clearing…"

"But James and the woman – they'll try to kill you?" she asked wanting the answering, but not desiring it.

"Bella, don't you dare waste time worrying about me. Your only concern is keeping yourself safe and – please, please – _trying_ not to be reckless."

"Is he still tracking?" she asked.

"Yes," I answered. "He won't attack the house, though. Not tonight."

I turned off the road up the long driveway to our house, with Alice following closely behind. Emmett was still holding his position in the bed of the truck, keeping an eye out for the tracker.

I pulled up in front of the house, where every light was on. I knew the rest of the family was waiting anxiously. Emmett jumped from the bed of the truck and quickly opened Bella's door, tucking her into his arms like a football and running into the house through the front door. Alice and I followed with her bags.

We all entered the room together, where everyone else was standing on their feet, waiting on us. With them was Laurent. I had been so focused on the tracker and his mate, I had let this slip past me.

Emmett sat Bella down carefully, next to me and let out a deep growl. He was ready to challenge Laurent.

"He's tracking us," I said accusingly at Laurent, as though he could have changed the tracker's mind.

"I was afraid of that," he said. I could tell he was truly sorry for the turn of events and wanted no part of it.

Alice flitted over to Jasper and whispered in his ear of the plans. They quickly flew up the stairs together to make preparations for the journey. Rosalie quickly made her way to Emmett's side, glaring furiously at Bella.

Carlisle asked Laurent what James would do. Laurent explained what I already knew, that the moment I protected Bella in the clearing, James' mind was made up and his course was set. He confirmed something else I already knew, that once James started something, he would not be stopped.

"We'll bring him down," Emmett said confidently, pushing out his chest like a caveman.

"You can't bring him down," Laurent explained. "I've never seen anything like him in my three hundred years. He's absolutely lethal. That's why I joined his coven."

How did I miss that fact as well? It was _James'_ coven. The fact that Laurent took the lead in the clearing was just a show.

Laurent then looked at Bella and asked Carlisle if he was sure she was worth the risk. I let out a deep growl at the audacity of his question.

Carlisle looked gravely at Laurent. "I'm afraid you're going to have to make a choice."

The nomad searched our faces and thought deeply for a moment before answering. "I'm intrigued by the life you've created here. But I won't get in the middle of this. I bear none of you any enmity, but I won't go up against James. I think I will head north – to the clan in Denali." He hesitated again. "Don't underestimate James. He's got a brilliant mind and unparalleled senses. He's every bit as comfortable in the human world as you seem to be, and he won't come at you head on…I'm sorry for what's been unleashed here. Truly sorry." He bowed his head and I believed him. I trusted this was not a choice he would have made had he been the leader. He raised his eyes again, looking in Bella's direction.

_I wonder what is so special about this girl?_ He questioned.

"Go in peace," Carlisle said. With that Laurent left the house.

The silence that followed didn't last long. Everyone knew we had very little time to get everything together and the plan in place. I had to share with them what we had decided.

Esme quickly moved to a keypad on the wall and touched a few buttons which set in motion the huge metal shutters that covered the glass when necessary. Bella stood with her mouth hanging open.

"About three miles out past the river; he's circling around to meet up with the female," I explained to all of them.

"What's the plan?" Carlisle asked.

"We'll lead him off, and then Jasper and Alice will run her south," I explained as we all moved about the room, gathering items we would need.

"And then?" Carlisle prodded.

I gritted my teeth again and growled, "As soon as Bella is clear, we hunt him."

I could tell this was not the answer Carlisle had wanted but one he expected and, most importantly, understood.

"I guess there is no other choice," he agreed.

I then turned to Rosalie. "Get her upstairs and trade clothes," I commanded. Rosalie was not Alice and, not surprisingly, reacted to me with total disbelief.

"Why should I?" she hissed. "What is she to me? Except a menace – a danger you've chosen to inflict on all of us."

Her words and her tone were harsh and she wanted, more than hurting Bella, to hurt me.

Emmett put one hand on her shoulder, trying to calm her. "Rose," he said softly.

I was angry with Rosalie and any other time, I would have taken the time to challenge her and throttle her if necessary. However, there were more important things to deal with than her ego right now.

"Esme?" I asked, calmly, knowing she would do this for me.

Esme gently picked Bella up and tossed her over her shoulder, heading up the stairs to trade clothes.

As they went about changing and Alice and Jasper continued to prepare for their trip, the rest of us made our own preparations.

There were things I needed to tell Alice, so I communicated with her through our thoughts in order to keep Bella out of the loop.

_She needs to eat more often than we do, Alice. A lot more often, several times a day. Don't forget that. She is likely to be distracted._

_Yes, Edward_.

_Also, she is very stubborn and has a mind of her own. She won't like being under your thumb so, give her a little space, but keep a sharp eye on her_. _If she begins to worry at all about Charlie, I am afraid she would try to slip out on you_.

I could hear Alice laughing in her head. _Edward, I think I have proven I deserve more credit than you are giving me. Bella will not be able to "slip out" on me. I would see it. I will pay very close attention to my visions._

_And Alice…_

_Yes, Edward?_

_Do not, under any circumstance, discuss the visions you have had of Bella's future. I will not let that happen and I don't want her to know about it. _

Alice was growing frustrated with me and my instructions. She felt I was treating her like a child. _Okay, Edward. Thoughts to myself._

_I mean it, Alice. Do not share anything with her. If there is something she wants to know I will tell her when this is all over. It is my place, not yours. _My thoughts were filled with resolve and determination.

_Is that all, Edward? You can always call me, you know. Please trust me, and trust Jasper. We love her too, Edward. We will protect her until James is no longer a threat._

I realized I had put a lot on Alice, and all of my family. I had to relinquish some control and trust they would look after her the way I would. _Thank you, Alice. I love you._

_I love you too, Edward. Be careful._

Emmett gathered a back pack full of things we might need on the hunt – most importantly, fuel to start the fire we would need to burn James' body after we had torn him apart. He tossed in passports and money along with a couple of changes of clothes.

Alice and Jasper came down the stairs with Esme and Bella. They had swapped clothes in an effort to throw off the tracker long enough to get Bella away from him.

Carlisle pulled out two small cell-phones, tossing one to Esme and the other to Alice.

"Esme and Rosalie will be taking your truck Bella," Carlisle explained. Rosalie shot Carlisle a disgusted glance as he passed, but she complied with him. He was her father and creator, after all.

"Alice and Jasper – take the Mercedes. You'll need the dark tint in the south." Carlisle continued with the instructions.

They nodded.

"We're taking the Jeep," he motioned to Emmett and me. As much as Carlisle did not believe in taking a life, human or inhuman, he knew this was the only course. Besides, Carlisle had accepted that Bella was my choice and therefore, a member of the family. No matter what, our family defended each other.

"Alice," Carlisle asked her, "will they take the bait?

Everyone's eyes were on Alice as she closed her eyes, going into one of her trances.

Her eyes finally opened wide. "He'll track you. The woman will follow the truck. We should be able to leave after that." Alice spoke with conviction and certainty and I knew, again, I had to trust her.

"Let's go," Carlisle said, heading towards the kitchen with Emmett following closely behind.

I took an extra moment with Bella, moving to her side at the foot of the stairs. I pulled her as closely to me as I possibly could without breaking her ribs. I didn't care that Rosalie or Emmett or the rest of my family was watching me. I gently lifted her feet off the floor and tenderly pressed my lips against hers – feeling the warmth and softness of them again. It was all worth it. Everything. Bella was my life, as it were.

I sat her down and looked deep into her eyes, one last time, before we left. I hoped she wouldn't see the sadness I felt. I quickly turned and followed Carlisle and Emmett through the kitchen to the garage.

As soon as we were in the Jeep and out the driveway, Carlisle called Esme to let her know it was time for her and Rosalie to leave in the truck and distract the female.

A few seconds later, when we knew that Esme and Rosalie had gotten far enough away from the house to have the female follow, we called Alice to let her know it was time for the three of them to make their escape.

The hunt was on and there was no turning back now.

Alice called me back within a few minutes and let me know that they had safely made it out of the house and were out of town. We agreed we wouldn't talk again until necessary. We didn't want to take a chance of James or Victoria learning of our plot.


	11. Chapter 20 PURSUIT

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fan-fiction based on Stephenie Meyers' Twilight Series. (No copyright infringement intended).**

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Emmett, Carlisle and I immediately headed north in the Jeep. The tracker was following us, just as Alice had predicted. Esme and Rosalie were headed west in Bella's truck. Victoria was following them. Again, just as Alice had predicted. Alice and Jasper were headed safely south towards Phoenix. Everything was going according to plan.

"Carlisle, I'm truly sorry it has come to this", I said to my father.

I loved my father dearly and I knew how hard he had worked to maintain his morality and ours. Emmett and Rosalie were always up for a fight – it was in their nature. Carlisle and Esme were different. They avoided conflict and confrontation. They wanted peace and harmony, with everyone. I knew Carlisle was doing this…hunting, for me and for Bella. If it were solely up to him, he would have let James go on his way.

"Edward, son, this is not your fault." He spoke in a comforting tone. I could not remember my real father's voice, or his face, just vague memories in which he was nothing more than a shadow. Carlisle was the only father I could remember and he had always treated me as though I was his son by birth, not creation. "These turn of events could not have been foreseen and the course we must now take was unavoidable. It is unfortunate, true, but I also understand this is the _only_ way."

I hung my head in shame, wishing, hoping that there was something I could have done to have prevented this. "I wanted to run away, with Bella…to protect her myself. I never meant for…"

"We're family, Edward", Emmett cut me off, slapping me on the shoulder, playing the big brother role as he had for so long. "One for all, and all for one."

I chuckled under my breath at Emmett quoting _The Three Musketeers_ and how ironic that was, at this moment, in the Jeep with him and Carlisle.

"Edward, we all know how much you love Bella. We can see the change in you. You are…happy. Esme is over the moon seeing you so content. We all are…"

_Except Rose_…Emmett's thoughts interrupted. _I don't understand why. I think Bella is pretty cool._

"Regardless of the fact that Bella is a human girl, she is your choice and therefore, is part of our family now and we protect our family. Charlie is her family and Renee is her family. If they are in danger, we protect them as well," Carlisle continued.

"Thank you," I muttered. It hardly seemed enough to merely thank them for putting their lives and our families' lives in danger.

"There is no 'thank you' necessary, Edward. It is the same you would do for any of us." Carlisle said.

We then drove in silence for a long time, until the sun came up over the horizon, leaving me to think of my Bella.

Even in my human life I don't remember ever feeling about anyone, the way I felt about her. All of the things a human man would think and feel I found myself experiencing, as unlikely as it seemed.

Where my heart once was, something raced when I was near her. Where the adrenaline once pulsed through my veins there was now an electric current, running through me whenever I was close to her. I could hear, feel, taste, see and smell so much more vividly than ever before. It was as though I was living a Monet painting. Bella was the brush and I was her canvas.

I missed her so much already that I ached. I knew Jasper and Alice would take care of her. At least Alice had her visions and Jasper would be able to calm and comfort her with his presence.

But I was envious. I wanted to hold her and protect her and comfort her. I wanted to be holed-up in the hotel room with her, watching her sleep. I wanted to cover her with a blanket if she was cold. I wanted to lie next to her if she had a nightmare. I knew I _needed_ to be here, but I _wanted_ to be there.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to pull in what little of her scent that still remained in the Jeep. I breathed deep enough that a touch of her floral smell entered my lungs and burned. I couldn't have been happier. I imagined myself nestling my face in her neck, with her hair falling, surrounding me as my lips softly caressed her throat. I let out a deep sigh and Carlisle and Emmett both looked at me with sympathy.

"Alice's vision said the tracker would follow us and the female would follow Esme and Rosalie. We haven't received any calls from her telling us otherwise", Carlisle spoke, breaking my train of thought. "Therefore, I think we continue driving, towards Vancouver. Hopefully we will either cross paths with James or get a phone call from Alice telling us what course to take."

"This is difficult", I added, "not being able to get close enough to him to hear his thoughts."

"Yes, Edward, but if you took that chance, then he could hear us and our whole plan would be destroyed," Emmett reminded.

Nothing about this pursuit or game of hide-and-seek was normal. It was wrought with risks. One slight move in the wrong direction, one slip of the tongue, one stone un-turned and we lost control.

Because we could not follow James closely enough to listen to his thoughts we had to go on instinct, hoping everything was going the way we wanted it to since Alice hadn't called. That also meant that Bella was safe. Ultimately, that was the most important item, regardless of how long our hunt was to us.

Emmett was getting antsy. He could hardly stay still in his seat. He was constantly moving from one side of the back seat to the other, scanning the forest and mountains that surrounded us, hoping for a sighting of James – one that would allow him to act.

I knew Bella would be on pins and needles, trapped in her hotel room with no word from us. I hoped Alice would explain to her that that only meant we had no new information.

Esme had not called us either. We took that to mean she was back in Forks, protecting Charlie. She would not take a chance of using the cell phone and Victoria over-hearing. Everything was still going to plan.

By this time we were in Vancouver. We hoped that James believed it was where I would take Bella – to a large city where she would be more difficult to find and far away from Phoenix.

I sensed that, as much as I was avoiding close proximity to him, he was doing the same. I felt he was watching us closely, seeing if there were any chinks in our armor. It was a classic game of cat and mouse, only in this instance it was vampire vs. vampire.

We found a hotel in Vancouver where we could hole-up during the day and search for James by night. When we were in the room we strategized about the possible what-if's of the situation.

"What if we have lost the tracker, Edward?" Carlisle asked. "Since you aren't close enough to hear his thoughts we don't know if he is still with us or has changed his course."

"Alice would have called us if she had seen that", I reassured, knowing my sister would be watching for any visions of James.

There was a long silence while I pondered the events. "I have a feeling…" Carlisle an Emmett hung on my every word. I hardly ever had feelings. "I have a feeling that he grew suspicious of our rouse, having not seen Bella with us yet, although you know he is looking. I think he got on a plane – a plane for Phoenix. I feel that he has figured out, for one reason or another that Bella actually went where she said and he is on a fast-path to get to her before I do."

"How strong is this feeling, Edward?" Carlisle asked. He was intrigued by this new 'gift' I had attained.

"It's not a gift, Carlisle. I think I have become so attuned to Bella and James and our surroundings that puzzle pieces are just falling in place, making sense."

"Then what should we do, Edward?" Carlisle asked.

I paused and thought strongly about deviating from our original plan but it seemed to be the way to go.

"I think we need to head back towards Seattle and get out on a flight from there – the first one to Phoenix. Of course we need to call Alice and let her know of the change of plans", I said.

Carlisle picked up the cell phone and dialed Alice's number. He didn't give her a chance to speak first.

"Alice. There is a change in plans," he explained.

"Carlisle," Alice responded breathlessly.

"First, I have to ask, is Bella safe and with you?"

Carlisle waited for the answer, then nodded to me that she was safe and accounted for.

I could tell by Carlisle's reactions to Alice's story, we were right. He had gotten on a plane and headed for the room with windows and mirrors in Alice's visions. We just didn't know where that was at.

I reached for the phone, which Carlisle politely handed to me, "Alice?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Let me speak to Bella," I commanded. I had to hear her voice for myself, to know everything was alright.

"Bella?" Alice called out.

"Hello?" Bella breathed, not sure who was on the other line and what information they held.

"Bella," I said softly to her.

"Oh, Edward! I was so worried." Her voice went up a few octaves. She was truly ecstatic to hear my voice, to know we were still alive. But that only meant we hadn't killed James.

"Bella," I sighed in frustration, "I told you not to worry about anything but yourself." Hearing her voice brought peace to my being. It was like a mother stroking a child's head to comfort them when they were ill. Bella's words stroked my pain and soothed it.

"Where are you?" she asked.

"We're outside of Vancouver. Bella, I'm sorry – we lost him. He seems suspicious of us – he's careful to stay just far enough away that I can't hear what he's thinking. But he's gone now – it looks like he got on a plane. We think he is headed back to Forks to start over," I explained.

"I know," Bella said. "Alice saw him get away. She was about to call you when the phone rang and it was Carlisle."

I assured her that while the female had been in her house, Charlie had been at work and Esme and Rosalie had kept a close eye on her as she searched the town for clues. She had been to the high school, the airport, and the entrance and exit ramps to the freeway. "She's digging, Bella, but there's nothing to find."

"And you're sure Charlie is safe?" she asked.

"Yes, Esme won't let him out of her sight. And we'll be there soon. If the tracker gets anywhere near Forks, we'll have him."

"I miss you," she whispered into the phone.

"I know, Bella. Believe me, I know. It's like you've taken half of me away with you."

"Come and get it then," she said forcefully. She wanted the same thing I wanted – to be together.

"Soon, as soon as I possibly can. I will make you safe first." I said this in a hard voice that reflected my determination to resolve the situation and my desire to be with her, in her arms.

"I love you," she said, as if she needed to remind me.

"Could you believe, that, despite everything I've put you through, I love you, too?"

"Yes, I can, actually," she responded softly.

"I'll come for you soon." I promised.

"I'll be waiting," she assured me.

Speaking to her had raised my hopes and breathed life into me that had been gone since I left her, but the moment we hung up the phone, I realized there was still much work to be done to reach Bella.

Carlisle, Emmett and I hopped back in the Jeep and headed south, towards Seattle.

Soon enough I would be in Phoenix to protect Bella myself. I could see her, hold her, and smell her again. Jasper and Alice would keep her safe until I arrived. Then I would take her someplace safe while the rest of the family continued to hunt the tracker and his mate.

Just before we reached Seattle my cell phone rang. It was Alice.

"Edward, I had another vision," she said in abject panic.

"What was it Alice?" I asked, suddenly filled with fear. I could tell by her voice it could not have been good.

"I had a vision and when I started drawing it out on paper, Bella recognized it. It was her house in Phoenix. The tracker is at her house, or will be soon."

"Alice, pack up Bella's things and meet us at the airport. We are taking the first flight out. We are scheduled to land at 9:45 in Phoenix. Meet us at the terminal and we will take Bella someplace safe. Then you and Jasper can stay on the tracker's trail." The words came quickly and with disgust that I was not already there to protect her. "Keep her safe Alice and don't let her out of your sight."

She softly replied, "I will, Edward. I promise"

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**A/N: Can't wait to hear what you think!**


	12. Chapter 21 PHOENIX

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fan-fiction by Kiva Johns-Adkins based on Stephenie Meyers' Twilight Series. (No copyright infringement intended). **

**A/N: This is a short chapter, filler, but you know the next chapter will be all action!**

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The three-hour flight to Phoenix was excruciatingly long. I couldn't call Alice or Bella to see if things were going as planned on their end. I had to trust all was well and I would soon have my reunion with Bella at the airport.

"Edward, as soon as we get off the plane, you find Alice and get Bella. We will take her somewhere safe, perhaps Denali. They would help us protect her," Carlisle said to me as we began our descent into the Valley of the Sun.

Emmett, Carlisle and I had taken the necessary precautions against the bright sun of Phoenix. We each had long pants, long-sleeved shirts, hats and sunglasses on. We wanted to expose as little skin as possible so that we brought no attention to ourselves, although we looked quite out of place dressed for winter in Alaska when we were in the baking sun of the Southwest. But these were risks and chances we had to take to protect Bella.

As soon as the doors of the plane opened, the three of us hurriedly made our way into the terminal. I quickly spotted Alice and Jasper, but no Bella.

_I'm sorry, Edward. She got away. She is going to meet the tracker. I didn't see it until she was on her way. _

Alice's face was full of despair and guilt. She felt she had failed me again. In truth, she had. She should have been keeping a closer eye on Bella.

"How did this happen, Alice? How did she get past you?" I growled at her.

"She was careful not to make definitive plans until the last minute, knowing I would see what she was going to do. She went to get something to eat with Jasper just before your plane was set to land and she escaped through a bathroom. By the time we knew what was going on, she had disappeared. I lost her scent at the entrance to the airport."

I lowered my head and rubbed my temples, trying to figure out what to do next. How would I find her quickly in a city of this size, in the middle of the day no less?

"Did she give you any clues Alice, while you were at the hotel? An address or something?"

Alice reached down and removed an envelope from her bag and handed it to me. "She left this. She asked me to give it to her mother when she left with you. I know her mother is not here. It isn't for her. It's for you."

I quickly ripped open the envelope and unfolded the paper to read her note:

**Edward,**

**I love you. I am so sorry. He has my mom, and I have to try. I know it may not work. I am so very, very sorry.**

**Don't be angry with Alice and Jasper. If I get away from them it will be a miracle. Tell them thank you for me. Alice especially, please.**

**And please, please don't come after him. That's what he wants, I think. I can't bear it if anyone has to be hurt because of me, especially you. Please, this is the only thing I can ask you now. For me.**

** I love you. Forgive me,**

**Bella**

"He tricked her," I told the group. "She believed he had her mother and has gone to save her."

Everyone looked at me with confusion and determination. They wanted to know what we needed to do, now.

"Alice - an address or some clue to where her house is. Anything." I pleaded with her.

Alice closed her eyes and put her fingers on her temples to concentrate. It was only a few seconds before her eyes popped open, lit with hope. "I saw her in a cab. The driver was going to 5821 E. Wethersfield Road in Scottsdale."

"Good, Alice," Carlisle said, patting her on the back.

"I saw visions of a ballet studio too," Alice added. "Bella said she hadn't been there since she was little but she knew it by my drawings. She said it was near her house."

"Let's go," I said, running towards the elevators.

_Level Four_, Alice thought.

I pushed the button and we took the elevator to the parking garage where Alice had parked the Mercedes. We all piled in, with me behind the wheel and took off through Phoenix, headed for Bella's house.

"Alice, do you see Bella with the tracker or is she alone?" I asked as I sped through each light just before they turned green. It would be a matter of minutes, without congestion, before we arrived at her house.

"I see her at her house," Alice said after a few minutes. "But I don't see the tracker."

That gave me hope. Perhaps, by luck, they hadn't crossed paths and I would get to Bella before he did.

It took just under 12 minutes to reach her house. I quickly ran to the front door, reaching under the eave to find the key. That was where Bella kept the key to Charlie's house so I thought it would work the same here. Luckily, the key was there. By the time I opened the door, the others were right behind me.

"Bella?!" I shouted, frantically as we all went in different directions throughout the house, searching for her. There was no sign of her, but as we were about to leave I caught a glimpse of a photo on the refrigerator. It was a picture of Bella from Mimi's Dance Studio. Now I knew the name of the studio we needed to find. I ripped it from the fridge and ran out to the Mercedes with the family in tow.

"She's with him, Edward. She's hurt," Alice cried.

I floored the gas pedal and spun into the road, headed the two blocks to the studio. We could have run, but in the sun, someone was sure to notice five sparkling vampires.


	13. Chapter 22 TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

**Disclaimer: This is a work of fan-fiction based on Stephenie Meyers' Twilight Series. (No copyright infringement intended). **

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We all stepped from the car at the same time, each running for the front entrance. Emmett reached for the doors and they were locked. _No problem_, he thought before kicking in the glass of the front doors.

We all ran through the glass and I immediately caught Bella's scent to the right of us. It was particularly strong which must mean she was bleeding.

They all followed me to the main room – the room with the mirrors that Alice has seen in her vision.

There was Bella, lying on the floor in a sea of broken glass and blood. The support post near her head was covered in shattered glass. It must have been where it came from.

After seeing Bella lying there, bleeding profusely, in an unconscious state I looked up and saw James, standing a few feet from her with a wide grin on his face.

"We've been waiting," he said arrogantly.

As I lurched towards him, Carlisle grabbed my arm. "Bella needs you. Let your brothers handle him."

As much as I wanted to take James out myself, Carlisle was right and Bella needed me, and him.

We immediately went to her side, along with Alice, who held her hand. She was showing great restraint against the scent of Bella's blood, but I could tell it was a struggle for her. "Go, Alice." I told her. She refused and held her breath, never releasing her grasp on Bella.

I turned and saw Emmett and Jasper, each pulling on one of James' arms. They threw him into another support beam and as he slid down onto the floor, Jasper jumped on top of him. It was no time before I could hear the frenzy of my brothers tearing James apart and enjoying every minute of it.

"Oh no, Bella, no!" I cried out. As I bent over her I could see she had a huge gash on her head and was bleeding profusely from her thigh. Her lower leg was twisted in a way it shouldn't have been naturally and I instinctively knew it was broken.

"Bella, please! Bella, listen to me, please, please, Bella, please!" I begged, taking her hand in mine. She moved her head slightly, as if my voice was reaching her. It had to. This couldn't be how things ended. This couldn't be the end for Bella.

"Carlisle!" I called to my father, who was looking over her. He had to do something, quickly. "Bella, Bella, no, oh please, no, no!" I began to cry. No tears flowed from my eyes, only desperation and sorrow, pouring out like a sieve.

Carlisle pressed his hand against the wound on her head to see how serious it was. The blood didn't faze him at all after all the years he had spent in the hospitals. There was so much blood and it was difficult to focus on what had to be done, but I had to help Carlisle save Bella's life. I could tell Alice was finding it difficult as well, but I also saw guilt in her eyes – guilt that she had allowed this to happen.

Suddenly, Bella let out a deep gasp and began screaming in pain.

"Bella!" I yelled. I couldn't bear to see her in so much pain but at least I knew she was still alive.

"She's lost some blood," Carlisle said to me. "Watch out for her leg, it's broken."

As he spoke to me, I could smell the fumes of gasoline and smoke. They had started the fire to burn James' remains. We didn't have long to take care of Bella and get her out of here.

I growled in rage that James had done this to my Bella, but he was taken care of. My only regret was that it was not me that tore him into a million pieces.

"Some ribs, too," Carlisle added after feeling Bella's side.

"Ed—wa…" Bella wispered. Her voice was so weak she couldn't even say my name, but at least she knew I was there with her. I never wanted to leave her again.

"Bella, you're going to be fine. Can you hear me, Bella? I love you," I whispered close to her ear.

She turned her head ever so slightly towards my voice. "Edward," she managed to say weakly.

"Yes, I'm here," I reassured her while Carlisle continued to examine her.

"It hurts," she cried.

Her pain was my pain. It was palpable. I wished so badly that I could take it all away.

"I know, Bella, I know," I said to her before turning to Carlisle, "can't you do anything?"

"My bag, please," Carlisle asked Alice. "Hold your breath, Alice, it will help," he promised. Alice closed her eyes and took in another deep breath, holding tightly onto Bella's hand, trying to keep her still for Carlisle.

"Alice?" Bella groaned, turning her head in the opposite direction.

"She's here," I whispered to her. "She knew where to find you."

She pulled her arm against my grasp and managed to mutter, "My hand hurts."

"I know, Bella. Carlisle will give you something, it will stop," I promised. I looked into Carlisle's eyes, pleading with him to help her.

He quickly gave her a shot of morphine to ease the pain. He then went back to her head, to address the gaping wound from which a river of blood seemed to flow through her hair and onto the floor.

"My hand is burning!" she screamed. The morphine must have been working or the pain was so intense she had a renewed energy in fighting it.

"Bella?" I asked, wondering why her hand was burning. There was only a minor cut on her palm. Why wasn't she complaining about her leg or head?

"The fire! Someone stop the fire!" she screamed, jerking her hand against my grip.

"Carlisle! Her hand!" I screamed.

We all saw the crescent shaped wound on her wrist at the same time. "He bit her," Carlisle said, completely appalled.

I caught my breath. Now what would we do? I did not want Bella to become a monster like me, no matter how much I wanted to be with her forever. If she was to change, I wanted it to be me, not some savage like James.

Alice reached up to Bella's face and brushed the tears from her eyes. "Edward, you have to do it," She said. She meant I had to let the change happen because she had seen it.

"No!" I bellowed at her. The smell of the blood was now being overtaken by the smell of smoke and the rising flames. We had to hurry.

"Alice," Bella moaned again.

"There may be a chance," Carlisle said, looking at me.

"What?" I begged. Anything. I would do anything. I had to save Bella.

"See if you can suck the venom back out. The wound is fairly clean," he said as he quickly stitched the gash on her head in an effort to slow the blood flow.

"Will that work?" Alice asked. She thought there were only two options; death or immortality. I held out hope for life.

"I don't know," Carlisle shook his head. "But we have to hurry."

It was an agonizing decision for me. I wanted nothing more than to be able to take the pain away for Bella, to save her life. But was I capable? I hadn't had enough time with her to build up the kind of willpower I would need.

"It's your decision, Edward, either way. I can't help you. I have to get this bleeding stopped here if you're going to be taking blood from her hand," he said as he continued to stitch.

Bella was writhing in pain and Carlisle was right, I had to decide, and quickly. Just then she opened her eyes and looked into mine. She saw my pain and agony and I saw her, pleading with me to help her. What other choice was there for me?

"Alice, get me something to brace her leg!" Carlisle ordered her. "Edward, you must do it now, or it will be too late."

Alice quickly rose and ran near the fire, where my brothers had thrown wooden planks from the dance floor onto the flames, feeding the fire. She grabbed one that lay outside the flames and ran back to Carlisle with it. She quickly and easily snapped it in two and started to splint Bella's leg.

I knew then I must act quickly and told myself I could not fail. Failure was not an option or Bella would die. I grasped her hand tightly in mine so she could not move it. I couldn't afford to slip and add venom to her. I then bent over her and placed my cold lips against her warm skin, matching the wound with my own mouth. The wound was cold, like us. I knew I had gotten it perfect and began to suck the venomous blood from her hand.

Bella began to writhe, in even more pain and Alice spoke softly to her, calming her while holding her leg down. Carlisle continued to hold her head, continuing to stitch it. Slowly, as I tasted the repulsive venom of James enter my own system, Bella relaxed and stopped flailing. Her eyes closed. "Edward," she whispered.

"He's right here, Bella," Alice said in a comforting tone.

"Stay, Edward, stay with me," she said, rolling her head towards me.

I had finished sucking the venom from her and could speak to her. "I will." Stopping was the most difficult thing I had ever done. After James' venom disappeared I could taste Bella's blood, mixed with morphine and I wanted to continue, but I had done what was necessary.

She relaxed and sighed contentedly.

"Is it all out?" Carlisle asked.

"Her blood tastes clean," I answered quietly. "I can taste the morphine."

"Bella?" Carlisle asked her.

"Mmmmmm?" she mustered in a drug-induced stupor.

"Is the fire gone?" he asked.

"Yes," she sighed, looking up weakly at me. "Thank you, Edward."

"I love you," I whispered to her, before kissing her cheek.

"I know," she breathed lightly. I chuckled under my breath, in relief that she was almost safe and was back to herself.

"Bella?" Carlisle asked again.

She frowned. I could tell she was getting frustrated with the questions at this point. The morphine made her tired and she just wanted to sleep. "What?" she asked.

"Where is your mother?" he asked.

"In Florida," she sighed. She then turned back to me. "He tricked me, Edward. He watched our videos." She was angry and upset with herself, but it was a weak anger in her voice.

She closed her eyes for another few seconds before they flew open again.

"Alice," she said, fighting to keep her eyes open long enough to say what she had to say. "Alice, the video – he knew you, Alice, he knew where you came from." Alice's mouth fell open with surprise, but Bella had not been able to keep hers open long enough to see Alice's reaction. "I smell gasoline," she mumbled before succumbing to the effects of the morphine, breathing softly and calmly beneath me.

Jasper and Emmett had come to us at this point. "It's time to move her," Carlisle said.

"No, I want to sleep," she protested.

I kissed her softly on the lips and brushed her bloody hair away from her face, "You can sleep, sweetheart, I'll carry you," I said soothingly to her. I then gently scooped her up into my arms and held her close to my chest, taking her to the car where we could drive her to the hospital.

Jasper sat up front with Carlisle as he headed towards the hospital. I held Bella in my arms in the backseat with her legs stretched across Alice and Emmett.

I looked down at her and softly whispered, "Sleep now, Bella"


	14. Chapter 23 AN IMPASSE

**This is a work of fan-fiction based on Stephenie Meyers' Twilight Series. (No copyright infringement intended). **

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After we delivered Bella to the hospital she required several transfusions of blood to replace what she had lost. I didn't like it. It changed the way she smelled to me. I liked the way _her_ blood smelled. After a day or so her own blood had re-produced itself and her sweet, floral smell returned.

She had so many injuries; a broken leg, four broken ribs, some cracks in her skull and bruises covering her entire body, on top of the blood loss. Because of all of the injuries they had to keep her sedated until Friday. For Bella, rest was what she needed to heal and the nurses and doctors were providing that.

Alice called Renee and Charlie and told them that she, Carlisle and I had come to Phoenix to convince Bella to come home. She then explained how Bella's unfortunate accident occurred.

According to the story, she had come to our hotel to hear what we had to say and fell down two flights of stairs before crashing through a window. Alice had great fun returning to the hotel and re-creating the scene of the accident so the whole story was more believable.

After Renee arrived, Alice and Carlisle flew back to Forks where Emmett and Jasper had already returned in the Mercedes. I stayed behind, not wanting to leave Bella's side until I heard her voice and felt her kiss on my lips. To tell the truth I didn't want to leave when that happened.

I knew the best thing for Bella would be to return to Florida with her mother – that is what Renee wanted, thinking Bella truly wanted out of Forks. I was a danger to Bella. Because of me, she had been in this situation. If she were far enough away from me I couldn't bring harm to her. Moving to Jacksonville with her mother and Phil would be the best. I didn't want to lose her, but great love also requires great sacrifice and I would languish the rest of my existence if it meant the love of my life would be safe.

I stayed in her hospital room, pretending to sleep in the fake blue leather recliner at the end of her bed. When Renee or the nurses and doctors weren't around I was at her side, holding her hand. I wanted to crawl up into the bed with her and hold her closely, but she had so many injuries I didn't want to hurt her further. Watching her sleep in the hospital was just as fascinating as it was back in her room in Forks. She was beautiful. All of the blood had been washed from her hair and I took the time to brush it each day, taking in the scent and enjoying the way it shined as it fell across her pillows and around her shoulders.

It was Friday and Renee had left to go get something to eat in the cafeteria, when Bella woke up.

I noticed she had begun to raise her hand to her face, trying to remove the oxygen tube from her nose. I quickly made my way to her bedside, taking her hand in mine and moving it back down to her side. "No, you don't," I told her.

I leaned my head down close to hers. I wanted to look deeply into her warm chocolate eyes when she looked up at me for the first time in days. "Edward?" she asked, turning her head towards me. "Oh, Edward, I'm so sorry!"

"Shhh," I whispered, pressing my fingertip gently against her lips. "Everything's all right now."

"What happened?" she asked, closing her eyes and shaking her head slightly, trying to recall the day at the dance studio. It was a good thing that all the medication had made her memories of that day foggy.

"I was almost too late. I could have been too late," I whispered, scrunching my face in anguish at the thought of what might have been. I raised my hand and touched the top of her head letting it brush down to her shoulders.

"It was so stupid, Edward," She said, blaming herself for the entire situation. "I thought he had my mom."

I tried to reassure her and not make her feel as though she were the only one duped by James' ploy. "He tricked us all."

Bella then turned her thoughts to Charlie and Renee and wanted to call them. I explained to her that Alice had already taken care of that and Renee was here at the hospital. I also went over the details of her 'accident' with her so she knew what story to stick with. She bought it and I assured her Renee had as well. It was completely plausible that Bella would have that type of accident.

"How did you do it?" she asked me. I knew immediately what she was talking about. She wanted to know how I stopped drinking from her when I did.

"I'm not sure," I said, looking away from her probing glance, gently picking up her bandaged hand, holding it in mine, and kissing each of her fingertips gently. As I did this, her heart monitor beeped faster.

"It was impossible…to stop," I struggled to explain. "Impossible. But I did." I looked up at her and smiled. "I _must_ love you."

"Don't I taste as good as I smell?" she smiled in response, wincing from the pain.

"Even better – better than I'd imagined," I said, closing my eyes as I remembered the taste of her blood after I removed all of James' venom.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

I looked to the ceiling and shook my head. She was always expressing regret for something. "Of all the things to apologize for."

"What _should_ I apologize for?" she asked, trying to squeeze my hand, which was impossible through the mess of gauze and tape around her hand.

"For nearly taking yourself away from me forever," I said.

"I'm sorry," she said softly again.

"I know why you did it," I said in an effort to comfort her. "It was still irrational, of course. You should have waited for me, you should have told me."

"You wouldn't have let me go."

"No," I agreed grimly. "I wouldn't." So now I knew how Bella was going to get around me to get her way. She just wouldn't ask for or give me her game plan. She would just do things later. I guess the saying, 'It is better to ask forgiveness later, rather than permission' now seemed to be Bella's motto.

Suddenly she shuddered.

"What's wrong?" I asked anxiously.

"What happened to James?"

"Emmett and Jasper took care of him," I said. I could not hide the disappointment in my voice that it hadn't been me to do the deed.

"But I didn't see Emmett and Jasper there," She said.

"They didn't get too close. There was a lot of blood," I explained.

"But you stayed," she said as her eyes softened.

"Yes, I stayed," I answered.

"And Alice, and Carlisle…," she wondered.

"They love you too," I said softly, reaching to touch her cheek.

She closed her eyes again as though she were remembering something, then opened them and asked me. "Did Alice see the tape?"

"Yes," I growled lowly. I was glad Alice now knew more about where she came from, but knowing James had wanted her as well, made me angry.

"She was always in the dark," Bella said. "That's why she didn't remember."

"I know. She understands now." I spoke in an even tone but my eyes were dark with fury and thirst. I hadn't left Bella's side in days and was in need of hunting.

She tried to reach up to my face to comfort me, but the IV tugged against her and she groaned in frustration. Apparently she was afraid of needles. Bella, who would take on an evil vampire, by choice, was afraid of a needle. She was a contrast in terms in so many ways.

I reached up to stroke her cheek softly with the back of my fingers and the heart monitor suddenly began to beep erratically.

"This is going to be embarrassing," she smiled, knowing that the monitor would announce to me, and everyone else, when her heart skipped a beat.

"Hmmm, I wonder…" I said wryly.

I then leaned in slowly, building up her anticipation as I listened to the beeps accelerate before my lips ever touched hers. Then my lips met hers with the lightest of touches and the beeping stopped all together.

I pulled back out of concern for her. Just as I turned to check it, the monitor started beeping again. I had made her heart stop. I would have to be exceptionally careful with her until she recovered. Though I couldn't help but smile at my accomplishment.

"I was not finished kissing you," She protested. "Don't make me come over there."

I smiled and leaned in, pressing my lips against hers again. The heart monitor beeped wildly again.

Suddenly I stopped kissing her. Her mother was about to return and she probably wouldn't let me continue to stay with Bella if she thought I was up to no good. She didn't seem to care for the fact that I never left Bella as it was.

"I think I hear your mother," I said to her, pulling away.

"Don't leave me," she cried in panic.

I was shocked by her fear. "I won't," I promised, smiling as I made my way back to the blue leather chair. "I'll take a nap."

I fell back into the chair and closed my eyes as Renee reached the door.

"Don't forget to breathe," Bella whispered jokingly just as Renee turned the handle.

"Mom!" Bella exclaimed. Her voice was full of love and relief. No matter how much comfort I could and would give her, there was something about a mother's love. I was envious.

Renee walked quietly to Bella's bedside, whispering, "He never leaves, does he?"

Bella ignored the question. It was more statement of fact than question anyway. "Mom, I'm so glad to see you!"

Renee bent over to hug her daughter and Bella's eyes filled with tears of joy. "I'm sorry, Mom. But everything's fine now. It's okay." She said, trying to reassure and comfort her mother.

"You're lucky Dr. Cullen was there. He's such a nice man…very young though. And he looks more like a model than a doctor…" Renee whispered. I smiled behind her back, not certain if Bella could see me or not.

"You met Carlisle?" Bella asked. I guess I forgot to mention that fact to her.

"And Edward's sister, Alice. She's a lovely girl."

"She is," Bella responded with pride.

I quickly wiped the smile off my face and went back to pretending I was asleep.

"You didn't tell me you had such good friends in Forks."

Bella moaned and Renee asked her what hurt. My eyes immediately popped open out of concern for her.

"It's fine," she said, assuring us both. "I just have to remember not to move."

Once I knew she was okay I continued with my ruse.

Bella, uncomfortable about discussing her life in Forks with Renee, changed the subject by asking about Phil.

Renee told her that he had gotten signed to play for the Jacksonville Rays and they would soon be looking for a house. She assured Bella she would love living there.

That conversation had not gone the way Bella anticipated. I could tell by her voice when she explained to her mother that, despite this episode, she liked living in Forks and wanted to stay there.

Renee pressed Bella for a reason why she would chose Forks. She had thought Bella was terribly unhappy there. "Is it this boy?" she whispered, referring to me.

"He's part of it," Bella answered. "So have you had a chance to talk with Edward?" she asked. I wondered secretly if she meant had I had a chance to dazzle her mother.

"Yes," Renee said with a hint of concern. "And I wanted to talk to you about that."

"What about?" Bella asked hesitantly.

Renee whispered, not realizing that effort was pointless. I had already read her thoughts and knew what she was going to say. "I think that boy is in love with you."

"I think so, too," Bella whispered back.

"And how do you feel about him?" Renee asked. _Way to go Renee_, I thought. I would gain more insight into Bella's thoughts now.

Bella paused and glanced in my direction to see how much attention I was paying to her conversation. She didn't want to talk about this with her mom and least of all in front of me, but she knew she was stuck. "I'm pretty crazy about him," she admitted.

I smiled with this newly confirmed knowledge.

"Well, he seems very nice, and, my goodness, he's incredibly good-looking, but you're so young, Bella…" Renee mildly protested.

_He is such a good catch though_, she thought, _money AND good looks, plus he is a gentleman. What more could a mother want? _

"I know that, Mom," Bella said with a hint of teenage frustration. "Don't worry about it. It's just a crush," she said softly. I hoped she was merely trying to quell her mother's concerns and, in fact, felt more strongly about me than just a crush.

"That's right," Renee said, patting Bella's arm as she stood up and looked at the clock behind her.

She explained that Phil was supposed to call and she didn't know she would be awake. Bella told her to go back to the house where she would rest better.

Her mother stated that she was uncomfortable at home, since there had been a crime-wave – one that included someone breaking into the dance studio and burning it to the ground. She told Bella she would leave for a little while, but would return to spend the night with her as she had every night since she arrived.

Just as Bella's mom was about to leave, a nurse stepped in and checked on Bella's tubes and wires. She then checked the read-out from the heart monitor and seemed concerned.

"Are you anxious, honey?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Bella answered, with a hint of embarrassment that only I would understand.

The nurse explained that her RN would be in shortly and left the room with Renee.

As soon as they left, I was back at Bella's side, sitting in a hard plastic chair next to her bed, resting my chin on my arms which were crossed on her bedrail.

"How was your nap?" she asked sarcastically.

"Interesting," I said.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm surprised. I thought Florida…and your mother…well, I thought that's what you would want."

She looked at me with confusion in her eyes. "But you'd be stuck inside all day in Florida. You'd only be able to come out at night, just like a real vampire."

I began to smile at the little joke she made, but I was serious and quickly dismissed the smile. "I would stay in Forks, Bella. Or somewhere like it," I explained. "Someplace where I couldn't hurt you anymore."

She looked at me blankly for several seconds as she tried to comprehend exactly what I was saying to her. Suddenly the heart monitor began to beep wildly and her breathing increased as well. Her confusion soon turned into pain and dismay. She understood what I was saying and it upset her.

Before she had a chance to say anything another nurse walked into the room, no doubt, responding to the heart monitor.

She moved to the other side of Bella's bed, tapping the IV and asked, "Time for more pain meds, sweetheart?"

"No, no," Bella mumbled. She was trying to disguise her agony at my words and get rid of the nurse so she could bombard me with questions and reasons why she could not leave. "I don't need anything," she said.

"No need to be brave, honey. It's better if you don't get too stressed out; you need to rest." She pleaded gently with Bella. I hoped she would listen to reason since she wouldn't listen to me.

Bella shook her head. She was not having any meds until she dealt with me.

"Okay," the nurse agreed, begrudgingly. "Hit the call button when you're ready."

The nurse gave me a stern look, as if to warn me against exciting Bella any further. She then glanced quickly at the machines, patted Bella's shoulder and walked out of the room.

I moved my hands to Bella's cheeks to calm her before she became too excited.

"Shhh, Bella, calm down."

"Don't leave me," she begged, voice cracking as she grabbed my hands with her good one.

"I won't," I promised. "Now relax before I call the nurse back to sedate you."

My words and touch hadn't calmed her. The monitor continued to beep furiously.

I stroked her face more rapidly, hoping that would calm her. "Bella, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here as long as you need me."

She had a way of getting me to do and say just what she wanted. I knew the right thing to do, but I always did the opposite when it came to her.

"Do you swear you won't leave me?" she whispered, trying to control her hyperventilation. I could tell she was in pain as well.

I continued to hold her face with both of my hands and moved my face in closer to hers, opening my eyes wide so she would believe me. "I swear," I said seriously.

She seemed to be soothed, either by my words or my closeness, and her breathing slowed. I looked deeply into her eyes until the beeping on the monitor slowed as well.

"Better?" I asked.

"Yes," she said cautiously. It was as though she wanted to believe me, but didn't know whether she should or not.

"Why did you say that?" she whispered. "Are you tired of trying to save me all the time? Do you _want_ me to go away?"

"No, I don't want to be without you, Bella, of course not. Be rational. And I have no problem with saving you either – if it weren't for the fact that I was the one putting you in danger…that I'm the reason you're in here."

"Yes, you are the reason," she frowned. "The reason I am here – alive." She seemed…disappointed.

She reminded me of all of her previous near-disasters in which I had intervened, telling me that she would be in the Forks Cemetery right now if it hadn't been for me. It was true, but hardly a valid argument. Two wrongs didn't make a right.

I heard her but I continued as though I hadn't. I wanted to be _heard_. "That's not the worst part though. Not seeing you there on the floor…crumpled and broken." My voice was choking back what would have been tears, if I could cry. "Not thinking I was too late. Not even hearing you scream in pain – all those unbearable memories that I'll carry with me for the rest of eternity. No, the very worst was feeling…knowing that I couldn't stop. Believing that I was going to kill you myself."

"But you didn't," she said softly.

"I could have," I reminded her. "So easily."

She saw through me. She knew I was trying to convince her, and myself, that us being apart was the right decision.

"Promise me," she whispered.

"What?" I asked. I knew what she wanted me to promise her, but I wanted to hear it from her.

"You know what," she said stubbornly. She was getting frustrated with my evasive measures.

"I don't seem to be strong enough to stay away from you, so I suppose that you'll get your way…whether it kills you or not," I said roughly.

"Good," she responded. I could tell it still wasn't exactly what she had wanted to hear but it was the best I could do and I hoped it would suffice for now. "You told me how you stopped…now I want to know why," she demanded.

Oh how I wished that nurse had been more stern and forced Bella to take the pain meds.

"Why?" I asked, warily.

"_Why_ you did it. Why didn't you just let the venom spread? By now I would be just like you."

She wouldn't be asking this pointed question if she didn't know about the process. Alice must have told her more than I wanted. She promised me. Clearly, Bella's hold over her was as strong as it was over me. We vampires seemed to spill the beans when Bella asked. How did I not know that though? Alice had done a good job of keeping her thoughts elsewhere, so she didn't reveal her slip to me.

I breathed heavily, nostrils flaring, which just pulled Bella's scent in deeper. I was angry – furious, in fact. The one thing I wanted Alice to keep to herself, more than anything, and she had shared it with Bella.

I refused to answer her question. I was not going to indulge this line of questioning. I knew where she was going with it and I refused to follow her there.

"I'll be the first to admit that I have no experience with relationships," she said. "But it just seems logical…a man and woman have to be somewhat equal…as in, one of them can't always be swooping in and saving the other one. They have to save each other _equally_."

I reined in my anger. I didn't want to direct it at Bella. I did, however, want to have a few words with Alice. I crossed my arms on the side rail again and rested my chin on it, looking directly in her eyes.

"_You_ have saved me," I said, quietly.

"I can't always be Lois Lane," she said. "I want to be Superman, too."

I took the time to explain to her that she didn't understand what she was asking for. Of course, she protested and had a 'why' for every answer I gave her. I told her that I had over 90 years to think about what I was and how I became this way and I still didn't know what to think.

"Do you wish Carlisle hadn't saved you?" she asked. She had used the right word. What Carlisle had done with each of us, was save us from certain death. That wasn't the norm and it didn't change the dark reality of what that involved.

"No, I don't wish that," I said. "But my life was over. I wasn't giving anything up."

Bella would be giving so much up if I allowed her to get her way. She would give up her mother and father and the chance to get married and have a family of her own one day. She would miss the chance to grow old _along_ with someone.

"You _are_ my life," she said softly but with conviction. "You are the only thing it would hurt me to lose." This whole near-death/near-immortality thing had made Bella more expressive. Not that she normally held back much, but she was letting me know more easily how she felt about me.

I lowered my eyes. I had already made this decision, for her and for me. "I can't do it, Bella. I won't do that to you."

She continued to argue her side with me, telling me that after sucking the venom from her it should be easy for me. She had no idea how hard that was and, the fact that I experienced that, would make it that much more difficult for me to do it again. I realized as my lips closed around her wrist at the dance studio, that I didn't want to give her the same death sentence I had received. I could not fathom one reason, one circumstance, which would make me feel it was necessary to change her.

"…I have my own life to live," she added at the end of her repetitive argument for immortality.

"Exactly," I snapped, sitting upright. "And I won't end it for you."

I was not compromising on the issue and she wasn't backing down. Instead, she played dirtier and dirtier.

"I'm going to die," she insisted with great confidence.

"Really, Bella." She was being a drama queen now. "You'll be out of here in a few days. Two weeks at most."

Her eyes softened and so did her voice. She was getting ready to hit below the belt. I knew that much. "I may not die now…but I'm going to die sometime. Every minute of the day, I get closer. And I'm going to get _old_."

She was frustrating me beyond belief. I closed my eyes and pressed my fingers to my temples in frustration. Why couldn't she just get it? "That's how it's supposed to happen. How it should happen. How it would have happened if I didn't exist – and I _shouldn't exist_," I reminded her.

She snorted at my response. She actually snorted. I opened my eyes in surprise. "That's stupid," she said. "That's like going to someone who's just won the lottery, taking their money, and saying, 'Look, let's just go back to how things should be. It's better that way.' And I'm not buying it."

Where was that nurse? I was in a lose/lose situation here and it was wearing me out. I hadn't realized how much 'rest' I had gotten while Bella was out of it.

"I'm hardly a lottery prize," I growled at her.

"That's right. You're much better."

I rolled my eyes and pursed my lips. "Bella, we're not having this discussion anymore. I refuse to damn you to an eternity of night and that's the end of it."

That didn't stop her either. I was beginning to think she had a pre-occupation to get the last word in. "If you think that's the end, then you don't know me very well," she warned me. "You're not the only vampire I know."

That sent a tinge of anger through me. That was hitting below the belt. This was between her and me. I couldn't believe she would involve my family if she didn't get her way.

"Alice wouldn't dare," I said. I knew Alice was the only one Bella might be able to convince. Alice was as weak to Bella's requests as I was. I didn't understand it.

My eyes revealed more than I had intended – again.

"Alice already saw it, didn't she?" she guessed. "That's why the things she says upset you. She knows I'm going to be like you…someday."

"She's wrong," I asserted. "She also saw you dead, but that didn't happen either."

She smirked at me, having felt a minor victory with her new-found information. "You'll never catch _me_ betting against Alice."

Finally the arguments stopped, long enough for us to look at each other, surrounded by the beeping, whirring and dripping of machines that surrounded Bella.

"So, where does that leave us?" she asked.

I laughed. It was clear where we were – to me, at least. "I believe it is called an _impasse_."

I could see on her face that her pain was getting worse and I thought she was long over-due for her pain medication so I buzzed for the nurse. I smiled wryly at Bella, who was glaring at me for pushing the button.

"I won't take it," she promised. The heart monitor started to beep faster and I could hear her heart rate increasing.

"Bella, you're in pain. You need to relax so you can heal. Why are you being so difficult? They're not going to put any more needles in you now."

"I'm not afraid of the needles," she mumbled. "I'm afraid to close my eyes."

I bent over and smiled at her, taking her face in my hands again. "I told you I'm not going anywhere. Don't be afraid. As long as it makes you happy, I'll be here."

She smiled as much as she could before she cringed with pain. "You know you're talking about forever."

We were back to that. She didn't lie. She wasn't going to let it go. That was fine with me. She wasn't going to live forever meaning, eventually, I would win.

"Oh, you'll get over it – it's just a crush," I said, tossing her words back into her lap.

She shook her head in disbelief. "I was shocked when Renee swallowed that one. I know _you_ know better."

"That's the beautiful thing about being human," I told her. "Things change."

"Don't hold your breath," she warned me.

Just then the nurse arrived to save the day, with a syringe in her hand. She brushed past me and I backed up as she injected the needle into the IV. "Here you go, honey," the nurse said. "You'll feel better now."

"Thanks," Bella mumbled as the nurse left the room. It was already hitting her. Soon she would rest, and so would I.

"Stay," her words slurred. She was talking to me.

I stepped over to her bedside and gently touched her cheek, letting her know I was there. "I will," I promised. "Like I said, as long as it makes you happy…as long as it's what's best for you."

"'S not the same thing," she mumbled as she began to drift off to sleep.

I laughed. "Don't worry about that now, Bella. You can argue with me when you wake up."

"'Kay," she smiled.

I bent over and touched her ear with my lips as I whispered to her, "I love you."

"Me, too," she said.

"I know," I said, mimicking her earlier response to me.

She turned her head towards me. I knew what she wanted. I moved my lips to hers, kissing her softly as she drifted further away.

"Thanks," she sighed.

"Anytime," I said.

She was still fighting the medication. She wasn't done talking.

"Edward?"

"Yes?"

"I'm betting on Alice," she said as her eyes became heavy and the medicine took effect. She now rested peacefully and quietly. I returned to the blue chair and commenced watching her in her peaceful state. There was total silence in the room, with the exception of the machines, the heart monitor finally beeping at slow, regular intervals for the first time since she had woken up.

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**A/N: The story is coming to a close. Please tell what you think. I am already working on the next book in the series and your encouragement keeps me writing. The Epilogue will be up soon. Thank you all for reading & stay with me as we continue the journey.**


	15. EPILOGUE

**This is a work of fan-fiction based on Stephenie Meyers' Twilight Series. (No copyright infringement intended). **

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EPILOGUE

AN OCCASION

After we got back to Forks, Alice and I had a long discussion about what she had told Bella. She explained her side and I explained mine. As with Bella, I really made no progress, but we heard what the other had to say. I was very lucky to have Alice as a sister. She and I were closer than any of my other siblings. It was impossible to stay mad at her.

Together, she and I conspired to get Bella to the Prom. For Alice, it was getting to live that human experience through Bella since she had no memories of her human life. For me, it was important to make sure Bella experienced every human milestone that my siblings and I had missed out on. Prom was the first of these for her. She was adamant that she not attend Prom. I knew how she felt ever since she started rejecting every boy in town who approached her about the earlier dance. In order to get her to go, Alice and I couldn't tell her that Prom was where she was going.

The day of the Prom, Alice invited Bella over to the house for a girl's day. Bella agreed because she and Alice had become fast friends and she truly loved spending time with my family. Alice spent the day curling and pinning Bella's hair into flowing curls, adding make-up with hints of glitter. She then found a dress she had picked up in Paris and had never worn.

Alice was a fashionista and could not pass up something she found unique and beautiful, even if she had no particular plans for it. The dress was the exact opposite of Bella's personality and sensibility. Bella was a natural beauty, whose skin was radiant without the addition of make-up and her long hair flowed beautifully down her back without tons of hair-products. Bella was beautiful from the inside out.

Alice knew my favorite color on Bella was blue, like the blouse she had worn the night of our first date in Port Angeles. The dress she found was a deep blue, off the shoulder, frilly number. With the addition of the one stiletto heel that tied around her calf in a satin ribbon, Bella looked breathtaking. She still had the boot cast on from her broken leg so it was impossible to wear a matching pair of shoes. Still, I thought the idea of putting Bella in stiletto heels was a dangerous proposition. The only reason I went along with it is because I knew I would be with her, protecting her from herself.

I had gone out into the woods a few miles from the house while Alice played dress-up with Bella. I remembered a patch of Western Trillium that I wanted to pick for her. I thought the beautiful white flowers would look breath-taking throughout her dark curls.

I returned to the house, showered and put on my black, four-button tuxedo that I had hand-made in Italy over 20 years ago. I had very few occasions in which to wear it but I had it on hand for events such as these.

As soon as I finished tying my white bow tie, I took the flowers to Alice's room, knocking on the door first.

"Come in, Edward," Alice said.

Bella sat on Alice's vanity stool, patiently letting her put the final touches on her hair. We caught each other's eyes in the mirror. She saw the flowers in my hand.

"I picked these for your hair," I said, moving closer to her.

"Thank you," Bella said softly.

Alice smiled, widely and reached to take them from me.

_No, Alice. I want to pin them in her hair_.

_Okay_, Alice thought to me as she stepped back. I moved in behind Bella and laid the flowers on the vanity as I took bobby pins and pinned each one in her hair. She sat patiently, watching me in the mirror with curiosity. If she knew where she was going, she hadn't said. I could only imagine what was going through her mind.

We continued to exchange smiles and glances in the mirror, never speaking. She was so beautiful I was at a loss for words. I just wanted to take in every moment and remember this for all eternity.

"Are you ready?" I asked, reaching for her hand to help her stand up.

"Yes," she said quietly. She was curious what all this was about. I could sense that.

I helped her down the stairs and out to the car. Alice and the others would not need long to get ready for the Prom. No one wanted to get ready while Bella was there, worried they would tip her off and she would refuse to go. Of course Rosalie didn't care and was holed up in her room preparing. Rosalie always took a great deal of time when she was going to an event. She didn't need it to make her beautiful. I think she simply liked sitting in front of the mirror, admiring herself.

After I got her into the car, I headed down the driveway. Her lips were pursed and she asked me what I was up to.

I reached over for her hand and held it on her lap, grinning from ear to ear. I was pleased Alice and I had pulled this off and I was in awe of Bella.

"I'm shocked that you haven't figured it out yet," I turned to her and dazzled her, taking her breath away. I hoped it would give me a little more time before I had to tell her where she was going. I wanted to enjoy the moment without arguing with her.

She turned the tables on me and dazzled me in an effort to catch me off-guard. "I did mention that you looked very nice, didn't I?" she smiled.

"Yes," I said simply. I figured the fewer the words the better.

"I'm not coming over anymore if Alice is going to treat me like Guinea Pig Barbie when I do," she complained, flipping the frills of the dress that stretched across her arms. The off-the-shoulder dress made her look absolutely delectable.

Before she could say another word, my phone rang. I quickly looked at the caller ID before I answered. It was Chief Swan. I was suspicious. He wasn't expecting us. We both agreed that if we stopped at his house, Bella would take the opportunity to bail.

I had told him of my plans and he was pleased to see Bella going to Prom although he had been quite upset with her since Phoenix. He had implemented a strict curfew and visiting hours for me.

Charlie was eternally grateful to Carlisle for saving Bella. In the same regard, he blamed me for her running away. I knew that was something I had to deal with and I did it happily. It had been my fault and I had to make amends for it.

"Hello, Charlie," I said warily, hoping he was just calling to see how things were going.

Bella quickly turned her head towards me and shot a glare that could have burned a whole straight through my custom tuxedo.

"Edward, Tyler Crowley is here to pick Bella up for the Prom," Charlie said in disbelief.

I couldn't help but to laugh. "You're kidding!"

Bella was growing more suspicious by the minute and I figured the jig was up soon. "What is it?" she demanded.

I ignored her and addressed the Tyler situation. "Why don't you let me talk to him?" I asked.

Chief Swan handed the phone to Tyler. "Hello?" he said, curiously.

"Hello, Tyler, this is Edward Cullen." I did my best to sound friendly, although that jealous feeling I had experienced with Mike Newton was surfacing and there was an edge to my voice that Tyler probably didn't notice at first.

Bella looked at me with her mouth hanging open. I think that was the moment everything clicked for her and she figured out where I was taking her. She clasped her hands together and laid them forcefully into her lap.

"I'm sorry if there's been some kind of miscommunication, but Bella is unavailable tonight." I turned to her and winked. She met my wink with a steely glare. I found it sexy. "To be perfectly honest, she'll be unavailable every night, as far as anyone besides myself is concerned. No offense. And I'm sorry about your evening."

"Ummm, okay. Sorry," Tyler responded.

I flipped the phone closed and slipped it back into my pocket, grinning from ear to ear. I felt very territorial. I felt like a German shepherd that had just lifted its leg and marked the fire hydrant in front of the poodle's house.

Now I had to deal with Bella. I could almost see the smoke coming from her ears she was so angry. She had been tricked and she was not happy about it.

"Was that last part a bit too much? I didn't mean to offend you," I joked.

"You're taking me to _the prom_!" she yelled. The sound of her voice was deafening inside the Volvo.

I pressed my lips together and grew more serious. "Don't be difficult, Bella."

"Why are you doing this to me?" she asked in horror, as if I were attaching her to some medieval torture device. She really did have a flair for the dramatic.

I gestured to my tuxedo and asked her, "Honestly, Bella, what did you think we were doing?"

She fumed for a few more seconds and I suddenly saw tears stream down her face. She reached up to dab her eyes, fearing her make-up was running. Fortunately Alice had foreseen that water-proof mascara would be a prudent choice.

I was very frustrated with her. Alice and I had put a great deal of effort and planning into tricking Bella into this and I wanted her to appreciate it. "This is completely ridiculous. Why are you crying?"

"Because I'm _mad_," she growled.

"Humor me," I insisted.

I looked deeply into her eyes again, hoping I could use that dazzle technique again. I wasn't quite certain how it worked, but whenever I looked for an extended period of time into her eyes and added a crooked grin, it seemed to work.

"Fine," she pouted, crossing her arms across her chest. "I'll go quietly. But you'll see. I'm way overdue for more bad luck. I'll probably break my other leg. Look at this shoe! It's a death trap!" she said, stretching out her good leg.

"Hmmmm." I sighed, staring at her beautiful calf, with the muscles stretched taut. "Remind me to thank Alice for that tonight."

"Alice is going to be there?" she asked.

"With Jasper, and Emmett…and Rosalie," I admitted.

She looked disheartened. While her relationship with Emmett and Alice flourished, there had been no progress as far as Rosalie was concerned. Unless you consider the fact that Rosalie was now avoiding Bella instead of glaring angrily at her.

"Is Charlie in on this?" Bella asked.

"Of course," I chuckled. She probably figured he wouldn't be in on it since he was still disappointed in me. "Apparently Tyler wasn't though."

We had arrived at the school and I pulled in next to Rosalie's red convertible, which was already there. I stepped out and walked slowly to her side of the car, opening the door for her as I always did.

I lowered my hand to her so I could help her out of the car. She was stubbornly sitting in the front seat with her arms crossed across her chest. She knew I could not forcibly remove her in front of all these witnesses. She had promised to go quietly.

I sighed and laid my hand on the roof of the car, bending my head over to whisper to her. "When someone wants to kill you, you're brave as a lion – and then when someone mentions dancing…" I shook my head in disbelief.

She gulped and relaxed her arms, slightly. She still didn't uncross them, but she was coming around.

"Bella, I won't let anything hurt you – not even yourself. I won't let go of you once, I promise." I again extended my hand to her. This time she took it.

"There, now," I said as I took her hand and wrapped my other arm around her waist, lifting her from the seat. I never let go of her, as I promised. I held on tightly to her to offer her support as she limped awkwardly in her one stiletto up to the gym.

As we entered the balloon archway Bella giggled. "This looks like a horror movie waiting to happen."

I whispered in her ear, "Well, there are _more_ than enough vampires here."

I then walked with her up to the ticket table and purchased our prom tickets. I had actually succeeded in getting her to the dance. I considered it one of my greatest accomplishments.

Alice and Jasper and Emmett and Rosalie were holding court, twirling gracefully around the dance floor as the awkward teenagers stood to the side, gawking at their fluidity and stunning appearance. Bella's smile disappeared as she looked towards them. I knew she was intimidated by Rosalie but there was no reason she should be.

"Do you want me to bolt the doors so you can massacre the unsuspecting townsfolk?" she whispered towards me, trying to separate herself from becoming one of the gawkers.

"And where do you fit into that scheme?" I glared.

"Oh, I'm with the vampires, of course."

I smiled at her. "Anything to get out of dancing."

"Anything."

I turned Bella towards the dance floor but she refused to pick her feet up. I figured she was going to make me drag her, kicking and screaming.

I finally managed to drag her out to where my family was dancing. A horrified look swept across her face. I sensed that she was scanning every exit in the gym for an escape. Even on her best day, she had no hope of escaping my grasp.

"Edward," she croaked. "I _honestly_ can't dance!" I could feel her heart rate accelerate from sheer panic.

"Don't worry, silly," I whispered to her. "I _can_." I slowly and seductively ran my fingertips down her arms, wrapping them around my neck, gently lifting her onto my feet.

Suddenly all of our classmates noticed we had entered the room. The stares that had been reserved for my siblings were now turned in our direction. Bella was simply radiant even though she was terrified and I know every boy in the room wished he were me.

I effortlessly began dancing a waltz along with the other Cullens and Bella lost herself in the moment, laughing.

"I feel like I'm five years old," she giggled, looking down at her feet resting on my mine as I turned her around the dance floor.

"You don't look five," I murmured, pulling her closer to my chest, lifting her feet even further off the ground.

Alice smiled at us as we waltzed around her and Jasper. She was happy and Bella seemed happy too, smiling back.

"Okay," she admitted, "this isn't half-bad."

Just as she had lightened up Jacob Black had entered the building. She hadn't noticed yet, but I did and stiffened in response.

"What is it?" she asked, feeling the change in my posture.

She followed my eyes and saw him enter the gym. He didn't even have the decency to show up in a tuxedo. He had the gall to show up to this event in a long-sleeved shirt and tie. How unrefined.

I snarled lowly at him. Bella noticed.

"Be_have_!" she demanded.

"He wants to chat with you," I told her.

Jacob had made his way through the crowd to us and looked at us both with embarrassment, as he should.

"Hey, Bella, I was hoping you would be here," he smiled at her. While his words indicated he hoped she would be here, I noticed hesitation and felt he truly had hoped she would _not_ be here.

"Hi, Jacob," Bella said cheerfully. "What's up?"

He looked at me, then her. "Can I cut in?" he asked, gesturing towards Bella.

I wouldn't cause a scene and ruin this memory for Bella although there was nothing more I wanted to do than show him out myself.

I gently sat Bella down on her own two feet and stepped back.

"Thanks," Jacob said to me, moving in and wrapping his arms around Bella's waist. She put her hands on his shoulders to support herself. He didn't even know how to dance properly.

I moved with ease through the crowd and stood against the wall. I kept my eyes on them the entire time and listened to Jacob's thoughts in case I needed to intervene suddenly.

He seemed to be telling her something about his car and some deal he had made with his father to come to the prom. Mixed in with the thoughts of what he was saying to Bella were thoughts that I did not appreciate.

_Wow. Bella is so pretty. I wish I was here with her instead of Edward_.

Still, Bella didn't indicate she was in any danger and I kept my distance out of respect for her.

I noticed they stopped dancing and I paid particular attention to his thoughts then.

Apparently his father thought I had been responsible for Bella's injuries. It didn't seem young Jacob shared his father's opinion. He seemed to believe whatever it was Bella told him.

There was more and Jacob looked very uncomfortable with his thoughts.

_He said to warn you that 'we'll be watching_. What did he mean by that and would the interference into Bella's life ever stop. I wished there was no stupid treaty and I could run right down to the reservation and have a conversation with Billy Black myself, man to man.

Bella laughed at Jacob's warning. Obviously she hadn't felt threatened.

Jacob was thinking of dancing another dance with Bella. He had officially worn out his welcome and I made my way back across the dance floor, taking Bella's hands in mine again, lifting her onto my feet. "That's all right Jacob. I'll take it from here."

Jacob said his goodbyes and sauntered away. "Sorry," he mouthed to Bella as he left the gym.

The next song was more up-tempo, but I knew Bella was doing well to slow dance. I wound my arms around her waist and continued to dance to my own music.

"Feeling better?" she teased.

"Not really," I replied honestly.

"Don't be mad at Billy," she sighed. "He just worried about me for Charlie's sake. It's nothing personal."

"I'm not mad at Billy," I corrected her assumption. "But his son is irritating me."

She pulled back to look at me and I wasn't smiling.

"First of all, he made me break my promise."

She looked at me in confusion.

I managed a slight smile. "I promised I wouldn't let go of you tonight," I explained.

She smiled wryly and moved closer to me again. "Oh. Well, I forgive you," she said.

"Thanks. But there's something else," I frowned.

She didn't say a word. Instead, looked up at me and waited for my explanation.

"He called you pretty," I continued to frown, looking down at her ravishing beauty. "That's practically an insult, the way you look right now. You're much more than beautiful."

She laughed in embarrassment. "You might be a little biased."

I was twirling her around the dance floor again and she asked me what my reason was for the whole prom production.

I danced our way through the crowds without touching a single person and out the back door. We were dancing in the cool evening air, under a fading sunset.

When I was certain we were alone, I swung Bella up into my arms and carried her across the grounds, until we reached a bench under one of the Madrone trees. I sat down, keeping her cradled against my chest.

I looked up at the moon and realized that this perfect evening would soon come to an end.

"The point?" she reminded me.

I sighed and continued to stare at the moon. "Twilight, again," I murmured. "Another ending. No matter how perfect the day is, it always has to end."

Bella muttered through her teeth, taking another shot at immortality. "Some things don't have to end."

I sighed. I wished I could give her everything she wanted, but when it came to this, there was no wavering on my part.

I returned my glance to her and explained my motives. "I brought you to the prom because I don't want you to miss anything. I don't want my presence to take anything away from you, if I can help it. I want you to be _human_. I want your life to continue as it would have if I'd died in nineteen-eighteen like I should have."

She shuddered when I said that and shook her head. "In what strange, parallel dimension would I _ever_ have gone to prom of my own free will? If you weren't a thousand times stronger than me, I would never have let you get away with this."

I smiled briefly. "It wasn't so bad, you said so yourself."

She reached up gently and touched my cheek with great tenderness. "That's because I was with you."

I looked back at the moon as she focused on me.

"Will you tell me something?" I smiled down at her again.

"Don't I always?"

"Just promise you'll tell me," I said, grinning. I knew how stubborn she could be at times and I wanted assurances.

"Fine."

"You seemed honestly surprised when you figured out that I was taking you here," I began.

"I _was_," she interjected.

"Exactly," I said, nodding my head in agreement. "But you must have had some other theory…I'm curious – what did you _think_ I was dressing you up for?"

She immediately pursed her lips together and hesitated. "I don't want to tell you."

"You promised," I objected. If she would hold me to my promises, I would hold her to hers.

"I know."

"What's the problem?"

"I think it will make you mad, or sad," she said softly, looking down towards the ground.

I thought about that and couldn't understand what would make me respond that way. "I still want to know. Please?"

She sighed, considering her promise and her hesitation to follow through on it.

"Well…I assumed it was some kind of…occasion. But I didn't think it would be some trite human thing…prom!" she scoffed. She was disappointed it wasn't something else.

"Human?" I asked flatly. I knew that was the key to whole thing.

She reached down to her dress and played with a piece of chiffon, debating whether to expand on her answer, which I fully expected her to do.

"Okay," she said in a rush of bravery. "So I was hoping that you might have changed your mind…that you were going to change _me_, after all."

So many emotions ran through my mind. I was angry at her for pushing the immortality issue when I had explained my decision on that matter; I was amused at her thinking that would be an event; I was disappointed that _my_ perfect evening hadn't turned out to be _her_ perfect evening.

"You thought that would be a black tie occasion, did you?" I teased, touching the lapel of my tuxedo.

She was clearly embarrassed but tried to hide it with a scowl. "I don't know how these things work. To me, at least, it seems more rational than prom does."

I was still grinning at the way her mind worked. She constantly amazed me.

"It's not funny," she said, playfully slapping my chest.

"No, you're right," I said, wiping the smile from my face. "I'd rather treat it like a joke, though, than believe you're serious."

"But I am serious."

I sighed deeply. I was certain of that. "I know. And you're really that willing?" I asked her with a hint of the emotional pain I felt every time this subject came up.

She bit her lip and nodded at me.

"So ready for this to be the end," I said, shaking my head and looking towards the ground, "for this to be the twilight of your life, though your life has barely started. You're ready to give up everything."

"It's not the end, it's the beginning," she disagreed under her breath.

"I'm not worth it," I tried to convince her.

She reached up to my face again, placing her warm palm against my cheek. I responded to her touch by leaning into her hand.

"Do you remember when you told me that I didn't see myself very clearly?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "You obviously have the same blindness."

"I know what I am," I said. I was a monster in a tuxedo. In truth, Bella had been dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight. I was not her Knight in Shining Armor as she had convinced herself.

I pursed my lips and looked deeply into her eyes. Was she serious? Was she bluffing? What would she do if I called her on it? Was this truly what she wanted?

"You're ready now, then?" I asked her.

She seemed surprised with my response. "Um," she gulped, lifting her head to expose her throat ever so slightly to me. "Yes?"

I smiled and lowered my head slowly until my lips brushed against the skin under the corner of her jaw. I could again feel her heart race and the electricity was traveling through my body.

"Right now?" I whispered, breathing softly on her neck, sending a shiver through her body.

"Yes," she maintained.

I laughed at her bravery and audacity and leaned away from her. I was disappointed that she had called my bluff. I was hoping she would see for herself that this…life…was not what she wanted after all.

"You can't really believe that I would give in so easily," I responded, mocking her.

"A girl can dream," she answered.

I raised my eyebrows at her. "Is that what you dream about? Being a monster?"

"Not exactly," she frowned. She hated it when I referred to myself that way, even though that is exactly what I was, disguised as something far more innocent. "Mostly I dream about being with you forever."

Her voice held such despair and pain, just as mine did when I spoke of the thought of her becoming immortal. It was so hard for me not to give into her, to give her exactly what she wanted.

"Bella," I said, tracing her lips lightly with my fingertip. "I _will_ stay with you – isn't that enough?"

A smile formed on her lips. "Enough for now."

I was frustrated. She wouldn't give in and neither would I. Either way, no one was surrendering tonight.

She touched my face again, "Look. I love you more than everything else in the world, combined. Isn't that enough?"

I smiled at her. "Yes, it's enough. Enough for forever."

I then leaned over and pressed my lips again against her throat.

For now this would have to be our perfect ending to our perfect evening, sitting with each other under the Midnight Sun.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for finishing Edward's journey in Midnight Sun with me. I hope I stayed true to the Edward we all fell in love with when Stephenie Meyer wrote him. I hope you follow him as he continues his journey in Black Moon - coming soon. **

**And Thank You especially to my fabulous Beta ForksPixie for putting up with me and making sure you got the perfect Edward.**


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